I am not one typically to pick up on catchy sayings and adopt them as my truth, but this one has stuck with me.  Many people tend to leave difficult situations and difficult relationships too quickly.  By leaving, they usually miss the deep character training and lessons.

Haven’t you ever left one check out line at the grocery store to go to another line that seemed shorter, only to find yourself waiting twice as long? “Wherever you go, there you are.”  Maybe learning patience is your enemy, not slow grocery lines.

I remember speaking to a teacher one time who said she gets the same students every year, just with different names.  She said she was getting better every year with handling some of the difficult personalities, and I think she also realized she was growing as a teacher.

I have found by staying in the fire of difficulties, there can be a lot that is revealed about oneself during that time.  “Wherever you go, there you are,” I believe,  encourages a people to stop and evaluate themselves.   If you always seem to be running into the same problem, you probably need to stop and consider if you are part of the problem.

Some people choose to leave one difficult marriage only to find themselves in another. They never chose to grow through the difficulties of the first marriage, so they find themselves confronted with the difficulties in a second marriage.

On the other hand, if someone stays in a relationship with a really difficult person and always feels like the victim, then personal responsibility is never taken for their contribution to the relationship.

Some difficult relationships or situations do need the grace of separation, for individual growth, and/or healing.  Unfortunately, sometimes, hearts become so hardened, healing or growth cannot take place while in the relationship, but this is usually more the exception than the rule.  

So if you are in a difficult relationship, try to embrace it and walk through the fire instead of away from it. You just might grow from it!

By Jen Morgan