Your troubles are not
yours alone to carry
your burdens
are meant to be
more than you can bear
the difficulties you face
exist to draw you nearer to God
who awaits your request for help
with the open arms
of love and mercy
UNBEARABLE BURDENS
By Robert Van Valkenburgh
Meditations of a Gentle Warrior
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When the destination ahead is unclear…
When the path before us is uncertain…
When our burdens feel too cumbersome to bear…
When we feel too tired to go on…
And rest is not an option…
We should focus on our feet.
Focus on the next step forward.
Do the next right thing.
Remain in the moment.
Put on a smile and embrace the task at hand.
And if we can do this from moment to moment to moment, we may discover that our destination reveals itself…
The path before us becomes clear…
Our burdens become lighter…
Our exhaustion fades…
And we are given the strength to carry on.
Because we need only take one more step.
‘Through the Moment’ by Robert Van Valkenburgh
HOLISTIC BUDO: As in Life, so too in Budo. As in Budo, so too in Life.
There will be times in our lives when what is asked of us will feel as if it is simply too much for us to handle on our own.
The expectations will feel too high. The burdens will seem to be too much to bear.
It will be difficult for us to see a way forward and we will begin to doubt ourselves, our abilities, and our capabilities.
We will want to give up.
We will feel as though quitting is the only option.
It is important for us to understand that we are not unique in this experience.
We are not the first to feel this way, nor will we be the last.
In fact, it is quite likely that everyone feels this way from time to time.
It is also quite likely that the more responsible we are, the more we take ownership for our lives and the roles we play within them, the more we will want to succeed.
When the task at hand seems to be impossible, this will frustrate us and confuse us.
We do not want to fail, but we do not see how we can be successful under the circumstances we face.
It is in these times, when we feel at our lowest and most helpless, that we must be patient and we must seek out help from others.
Not only that, we must also seek to be helpful to others.
We need to be reminded that we are not in this struggle alone, that everyone feels overwhelmed at one point or another, and that we all need help from time to time.
This is the way forward, even when it feels as if there is not one.
The way forward is together.
It is up to us to seek out and create this togetherness, however.
It will not happen on its own.
We have to be active participants in our lives and in the lives of those around us if we are going to find a solution to the problems life throws at us.
We cannot do it alone.
Life is difficult enough without us making it more difficult than it needs to be.
This does not mean we should avoid difficulty.
Not only is that impossible, but it is also impractical if we are dedicated to growth and progress in ourselves, our lives, and our relationships.
We should, however, do our best to avoid unnecessary difficulty.
Unnecessary difficulty does not lead to growth or progress.
In fact, it leads us in the opposite direction.
We must be careful, therefore, to not add unnecessary stressors, burdens, or commitments to our already full lives.
We likely have enough of these that are necessary.
We do not need to add more that are unnecessary.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Kogen Dojo Self Defense Academy where he teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.*
*Robert Van Valkenburgh’s black and white photography can be seen at My Darkness To Light
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Doing the easy thing now does not make the difficult thing go away.
The best time to address difficulty is as it presents itself.
Waiting will not make it go away.
Time does not make that which is difficult easier to deal with.
Ignoring a difficult problem, task, or truth in favor of comfort, convenience, or complacency merely delays the difficulty.
Often, difficulty delayed becomes harder, not easier, to face and overcome.
As time elapses, difficulty left unaddressed and unresolved grows, or at least our fear of it does.
The harder we try to hide from the reality of that which we have to face, the more overwhelming our fear and trepidation become.
Even if the difficult thing itself does not change, our perception of its gravity does and that makes it more difficult to face.
Sometimes we try to overcompensate in other areas of our lives in an attempt to make up for that which we are avoiding.
We want to believe that enough little wins, enough easy choices, and enough progress in other directions, all layered on top of each other, will cancel out the difficult thing we are avoiding, but rarely is this true.
The sooner we accept, embrace, and take responsibility for the fact that this burden is ours alone to bear, this challenge is ours alone to face, and this obstacle is ours alone to overcome, the sooner our lives will actually become less difficult.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.
Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.
If you found this post helpful or meaningful in some way, please feel free to Share, Comment, and Subscribe below.
Meditations on God 