Challenging and Difficult People. Why Are They In Our Lives ?

        Do you have those one or two persons in your life that even the mention of their names make you cringe ?  The sound of their voice annoys you, or just their presence in the room with you is enough to make you tense up, boil in anger, stress out or just want to leave. They have done things to you in the past and may continue to do things that baffle, anger, annoy and bother you to the core of your soul. You know exactly who they are. You are thinking of them now as you read this. You can picture their face, their expressions, and you can remember some of the things that make them so unfavorable to you.


Why are they in our lives. What is their purpose. Someone please explain !!


 A seed planted in the dirt is opposed by the ground it must break through in order to receive sunlight. That seed must be kept underground until it grows some roots and a stem that will push through the surface. Once the stem breaks the surface it must face the elements of the weather, winds, rain, and sun.


At each stage the plant is challenged by something that appears to oppose it,  but is needed to assist it in growing. However, too tough a soil will not allow the plant to break through the surface. Too much water will wash away the mineral and nutrients in the soil. Too much sun will dehydrate the plant and kill it.


Too much of any one thing is detrimental and requires change to ensure survival and further development.

A battered woman in a verbally and/or physically abusive relationship gets to a breaking point. She finds courage deep within her she never knew she had and she leaves. She taps in to that courage again and again to get a degree, start a business, buy a home and find a healthy relationship that is emotionally rewarding.


An employee is unrewarded, unappreciated, under-compensated year after year by a selfish and self-centered boss. 5 days a week they commute 90 minutes to this job that is financially sufficient, but emotionally draining. Like a chess piece the employee is mentally pushed out of their position by an opposing force. The lack or recognition and appreciation reaches a point where it is intolerable. Finally the employee leaves the job to pursue their passion in a field they have always dreamed of but were too afraid to take the leap.


The difficult and challenging people are often life's natural agitators that cause us to dig deep within us, and employ strengths and potential lying dormant that we never knew we had. Out comes unseen power, courage, talent, skills, and emotion that amaze us and those that know us when we are pushed out of our comfort zone.


Those difficult and challenging people push us out of our comfort zone.  Why does it take such pain, punishment, cruelty, harsh conditions, and suffering ?  I don't know.  However, I know that we are not born to be abused. We are born to live and be happy, and sometimes getting to our goal, achieving our happiness, and living life requires us to step out of our comfort zone.  It requires us to break free from people and situations that aren't healthy although the situation may have other rewards and benefits.


Receive their message that it's time to go and make a change. Appreciate the lesson, experience and valuable wisdom...then jump with the faith and courage of a young bird pushed from a nest. It's O.K to be scared. Jump anyway.