There’s a strange thing about the life we say we want…
It comes with complications.
And most of the time, those complications feel like interruptions. You know: things to push through, complain about, or survive… But I’ve been thinking this week:
What if the complications are actually the clearest evidence of the blessings?
People with no complications live quiet, simple, undisturbed lives. They’re also, almost always, empty.
Because everything that makes life meaningful (people, responsibility, purpose, creation) brings friction with it. Even other human beings are complications! They interrupt us. They challenge us. They demand something of us. And yet, none of us would choose a life without other people. right??
This idea hit me again this week while we’re finishing a feature-length documentary that’s heading to theaters at the end of May (I can’t share details yet, but soon!).
On Tuesday, I worked an 18.5-hour day. On Friday, I worked until 2am…again. By the end of the week, I felt like death. And if I’m honest, I was tempted to be irritated. Short. Grumpy. The kind of attitude that whines, “Why is this so hard?” But then I remembered a line from Mark Batterson’s In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and the idea behind it: The very thing you’re frustrated by might be the thing you once prayed for.
(Pictured Above: A screenshot of the timeline for the feature documentary part of our team is working on. Every little sliver of color is a different clip…)
I’ve wanted to make films that go to theaters for as long as I can remember. And now it’s happening. So what would it mean to be annoyed…when the dream is finally becoming real? That long days aren’t an obstacle to the dream. They were a direct result of and a requirement for the dream.
And the longer I live, the more I realize this truth applies more broadly to all of life.
- The late nights.
- The responsibility.
- The pressure.
- The complexity of relationships.
- The weight of building something that matters.
These aren’t detours from a flourishing life. They are the evidence of it.
So here’s the challenge I’m giving myself (and maybe you too, haha): When you feel the friction this week, pause and ask: “Is this complication actually a sign of blessing?”
And if it is…if it’s tied to something you once hoped for, prayed for, or worked toward, then don’t just endure it.
Be grateful for it.
Because in many cases, the complication is not the problem. It’s the proof of blessing.
(Pictured Above: Just a quick glimpse of the team in it – heads down, putting in the kind of work that never looks glamorous but makes everything possible when you’re working toward the dream.)
Here’s to Human Flourishing.
— Ian