There are times in our lives when we have thoughts that feel deep and also really unsettling at the same time. One of those times is when the thought comes: what if the struggles we go through in life are not just accidents but are actually meant to happen? What if they’re not just things we should try to escape but are actually a big part of what it means to be human?
This idea frequently surfaces when we think about the story of the Garden of Eden. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a crucial part of that story and it raises some tough questions. Was the tree meant to be there? If it was, what does it say about the nature of struggles?
On the surface, the tree is about having the freedom to make choices. Adam and Eve could choose to obey or disobey God’s command not to eat from the tree. If we think about it deeply, however, there is actually something more to it. The tree was not just about giving humans a choice, it was about creating the conditions where we could learn and grow morally, relationally, and spiritually. It made it possible for us to trust and not just simply do what we were told. It made love mean something because it was not an automatic response.
This also leads to a harder truth. If the tree was meant to be in the Garden and if God knows everything, then the Fall and the act of disobedience was not a surprise to Him. He had foreknown it. Yet if He had known about the Fall and the Fall led to pain, labor, and struggle then struggle itself actually becomes a part of the story by design.
This is where things get complicated.
On one hand, this idea carries a certain depth and coherence and gives our lives meaning. It means that life is not just a bunch of random things happening. Life becomes a journey with a purpose. The experience of struggle is not just meaningless suffering; it attains a context where there are opportunities for us to grow. We learn to make choices when we experience the consequences of our mistakes. Our relationships get deeper when we go through difficult times together. We learn to depend on something other than ourselves when times are tough.
In this way the experience of struggle is not something that happens when we fail but rather a chance for us to learn and grow. On the other hand, knowing this does not make the struggle easier to deal with.
There is a difference between understanding something and actually experiencing it. We can think that hardship has a purpose. It can still feel overwhelming. We can still feel anxious, unsure, and exhausted even if we know that struggle is a part of the design. Our hearts do not always align with what our minds can reason.
We need to be honest about this disconnect. Sometimes when we talk about faith we tend to focus much on finding meaning and not enough on being honest about how hard we find our situations are. We think that if we understand why something is happening we should be able to deal with it. That is not how it works.
Even if struggle is a part of the plan, it still feels real and painful in our lives. In financial worries, health crisis, problems with people, and quiet moments of fear. It affects our bodies, minds, and emotions. It makes life unpredictable. It can make us feel like we are not in control.
But maybe that is the point.
If the story of Eden teaches us anything, it is that we were never meant to get through life by being “smart” or through self-sufficiency. As humans, we have an innate desire to “know” and be in control. This is precisely what happened when Adam and Eve ate from the tree. It is exactly what led to separation and struggle. What followed was not just hardship but a new understanding of our limitations.
In that sense, struggle does more than just make us stronger; it shows us that we are dependent. It shows us the limits of what we can control and invites us to trust instead of trying to be “in charge”.
It is not easy to accept this invitation.
There is something inside us that resists struggle. We are made to seek comfort, stability, and security. When those things are disrupted, even if it is for a reason, we often feel stressed instead of at peace. This is not a failure of faith; it is part and parcel of being human.
Knowing that struggle has a purpose does not eliminate the instinct of trying to avoid it. It just means we now think about it differently.
Instead of asking, “Why is this happening to me?” we can slowly shift the focus to, “What can I learn from this?” Instead of thinking that struggle means something is wrong, we can see it as a sign that something significant is taking place in our journey through life.
Even then it is not a straight line. There will be days when this perspective feels right and days when it feels distant. There will be moments when we understand and moments when the hard reality of life overshadows any sense of meaning.
That is where grace comes in.
If struggle is a part of the plan, then it is okay to be weak. The goal is not to be perfect, but to be honest and present, before God and before others. To admit when we are scared without letting fear take over. To say when things are hard without losing hope.
The story of Eden does not end with the Fall. It opens up to a story, one that includes restoration, redemption, and transformation. Struggle is not the final word; it is just part of the journey.
Maybe this is where we can find comfort.
Not in the removal of struggle, but in the assurance that it is not meaningless. Not in being in control but in knowing that the story is still unfolding. Not necessarily in being able to handle things well, but in knowing that we are held even when we are not doing well.
It is possible to hold two truths at the same time: that struggle has a purpose and that it is still hard.
Maybe faith is not about making those two things make sense or resolving the tension but about learning to live within those two truths.
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