Difficulties of Life

This article was sent to us by Natalie S., an eighth grader stationed in Texas. Do you have a story to share with your fellow military teens? Visit our writing page to find out how you can submit to Bloom!

There is a song I love called, “I’ll Find You” by Lecrae (feat. Tori Kelly). To me, this song includes some of the same things that we military teens deal with.

This part of the song is one of my favorites:

They say, "Don't get bitter, get better"

I'm workin' on switchin' them letters

But tell God, I'ma need a whole lotta hope keepin' it together

I'm smilin' in everyone's face

I'm cryin' whenever they leave the room

They don't know the battle I face

They don't understand what I'm goin' through

We face a lot of things as military teens - moving (usually a bunch), possibly losing someone, leaving things behind (schools, friends, churches), and more. When we face hard times, we might hide our emotions from others. I don’t let people know how I’m feeling or what I’m going through because I don’t like them getting emotional around me and I don’t like getting emotional around them. I hold everything in until I end up cracking. One word triggers a memory, and the memory then triggers a spiral.

Uh, they say, "Fear haunts you

And pain hates"

I say, "Pain strengthens

And fear drives faith"

And I don't know all of the outcomes

Don't know what happens tomorrow

But when that ocean of doubt comes

Don't let me drown in my sorrow

And don't let me stay at the bottom

I feel like this hole is too deep to climb

I've been lookin' for a way out

But I'll settle for a peace of mind

Pickin' up the pieces of my life and hopin' that I put together somethin' right

Tell me all I got is all I need

Tell me you gon' help me stay and fight

If you’re like me and you don’t like people knowing everything that’s going on, that’s okay. But at some point, I’ve learned that you have to let it out. If you have a friend that you know you can trust and talk to, let them know what you’re going through, and as a true friend, they’ll stay and help you fight. 

Just fight a little longer, my friend

It's all worth it in the end

But when you got nobody to turn to

Just hold on and I'll find you

I’m an athlete at my school, and last year I got hurt during a basketball game. A girl on the other team got upset that I blocked her shot, so she inconspicuously shoved me to the ground. My head was throbbing badly, and then I realized something was wrong with my ankle. Once I managed to get up, my coach subbed me out of the game. I was angry that I couldn’t play the rest of the game, but it turned out I badly sprained my ankle. 

Yet, I continued to play until the end of the season. The coaches offered to let me sit on the bench but I told them, “No, I can play. I’m fine.” Every time I fell or got hurt after that, it wasn’t as bad as the first time it happened, because I got stronger and was prepared for what would happen afterward. 

Throughout the rest of the season, my friends helped me get through all the pain I was feeling and encouraged me to keep going. Even when I felt like I was going through everything alone, I never truly was. The day after I got hurt, my friend offered to bring me crutches, and the rest of my friends were always hovering over me and checking on me. It was hilarious! If I even tripped on my shoe in the hallway, they would all rush over to me and check on me. 

I like to tell this story because it’s the same thing with life's difficulties. The first time something happens, it might hurt so bad that you don’t think you can get up. People need to help you sometimes, but sometimes you need to learn how to persevere (even if you still need help getting to the bench sometimes). After a while, you might not need to sit on the bench anymore. When it does start hurting again, though, you’ll have people to turn to. 

If you’re struggling and don’t know where those people are, just hold on a little longer, because they’ll find you.