Yet, it still isn't going the way you had hoped.
You're doing all you're supposed to do. Why is life such a struggle?
Sometimes life is a struggle but if life is always a struggle, maybe, just maybe, you are trying to live in a world that isn't the right one for you.
There's the hymn that says "This is our Father's world." And it is. God made everything, absolutely everything. And if you are a Believer you also know there is an unseen realm (and even if you aren't yet a Believer you probably believe this half the time). You know this isn't our home for one day we will be in the place called heaven.
But that isn't the world I am talking about.
Our society is made up of a bunch of worlds. And people inhabit them and move in and out of different worlds as they need to. There's the world of commerce. There's the world of education. There's the trucker world. There's the fashion world. There's so many worlds I do not even know about and probably will never about (there's the world of the homeless; the Hollywood world, the tattoo world....you get the idea). Each of the worlds within our society has its own rules. One of the biggest worlds that controls much of our society is the banking world. Though we haven't had any type of TV with commercials since August I know that there are tons of ads for credit and loans and banking products and credit scores. Many are sucked into this world and told they must play by its rules. You must have a great credit score and if you don't doom will follow. You are pushed to get credit to buy cars and homes and all the essentials (and non-essentials). And so many of us have lived within this realm for so long we think this is how we need to live in order to be successful.
But that's foolishness. Some do very well in this banking/credit environment. They can use it all for their benefit without it using them. But then there are others who cannot. If you are one of these who struggle in this environment then don't stay there. Sure, you'll have to go in and out of it. Use what you can from it but not too much. Live in the world you were made for.
People who thrive in this realm will not understand if you don't. And that's okay.
Your world was made for you. If how you are trying to live is overwhelming you and sucking the life out of you, stop and consider. Maybe you're playing by the wrong rules.
Seek God on this. Its that cliche ''a fish out of water" that applies so well here. Maybe you're not flying because you were made to swim. Or maybe you aren't swimming because you were made to fly (or gallop or jump or zoom).
Jesus said He came to give us Abundant Life (not a sucky half-life).