Image source: Maria Dryfhout | Dreamstime.com

I’m happy for anyone living a glorious life. But the life I live is nowhere near glorious. 

See, I don’t live a trendy life in Beverly Hills. I can’t jet set to a land like Brazil.  And I certainly don’t have billion-dollar designer brands in my closet or drawers. No, I can’t afford any of that rich folks’ stuff. And I’m fine with that reality.

Actually, I’m happy to be part of middle-class America. I have no problem settling into a comfortable standard of living. A livable salary that can afford me a house, transportation, a savings account, and a few extra perks here and there is all good by me. I have this life.

But day by day, it’s slipping away.

So, why is my comfortable middle-class life losing its comfort? I’ll tell you exactly why: money, money, and yes, more money.

Everybody wants more money: utilities, grocery stores, mortgage lenders – you name it. List a creditor, and I guarantee you, they want more money.

The underlying problem with this issue is simple: my money’s not increasing. And because of that, my life ain’t easy.

Make no mistake: I work hard for a living. I work eight hours, six days a week. Yet, my financial wants and needs for sustaining a decent life exceed my available funds. On top of that, my once “generous” job isn’t friendly anymore with bonuses and raises.

A new job is no longer the answer like it used to be. With this economy speeding towards a recession, I wouldn’t even burden myself looking for another job that’s possibly in the same boat as my current one.

At this point in life, I feel like I have more lows than highs!

You know, my Mama insisted I make a good life for myself. “Don’t mess up your life like I did mine,” she often said. “Do better than me. Stay in school. Education is the foundation of success.”

So I stayed in school. I graduated from high school with a 3.0 GPA. I graduated from college Magna cum laude. I even landed a successful career afterwards.

But now, all of that seems about as helpful as two pennies.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against education. I’m all for it. My mother’s advice was correct. However, the reality is that in today’s world, the landscape of life has changed significantly.

See, Mama didn’t see the future. She didn’t know that someday, you could have a degree, live in a nice suburb, and still struggle. She didn’t know that a time would come when, despite working diligently and gaining respect behind your name, it would eventually become ineffective.

She didn’t know that someday middle-class America would be under attack by insurmountable debt, a raggedy job market, and a rising cost of living as high as a tidal wave. She didn’t realize that all these issues would ultimately lead to poverty.

That’s why I’m here to tell you that in today’s world, this ain’t no easy life!

To be honest with you, I wanna scream! Sometimes I feel like I can’t even dream of a better life anymore, much less achieve it!

Life has beaten me down to the ground, and I can’t get up! Oh, sometimes I wish I could flee from this life!

And that’s when I drop to my knees and talk to my Heavenly God.

He needs no introduction to my pain. He needs no explanation for why I struggle to stay sane.

Unlike people, who partially listen, God hears every word I speak in the midst of my tears. And, unlike people, who offer cut-throat criticism, God tells me in a still voice, “Everything will be alright. Do my will and just be still. Everything will be alright.”

And I follow his word. I find my comfort and strength in Him. Sure, I have my moments of doubt and fear. I’m human. I’m bound to fall to weakness. We all do. After all, life ain’t easy for a lot of us nowadays. I’m not alone in this turbulent walk by a long shot.

But I get through the darkness knowing that my heavenly father’s light will shine upon my dark life. My time will come. I tell myself, Markina, get up and stand strong! There IS light at the end of the dark tunnel, and it awaits my arrival.

�� 2025 by Pamela Jones

Listen to this story on YouTube.

The post This Ain’t No Easy Life! appeared first on Pamela Jones.