Shun Not the Struggle: A Gift for Kappa Men

There is a line we learn early in our time with the Eta Psi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi at East Carolina University. A line that is passed down to us, a line we recite without fully understanding its weight at the time. We speak it, but it lingers with us long after the words have left our lips: “Shun not the struggle for it is God’s gift.”

At first, when we are young and untested, the words seem like simple instruction, another lesson to absorb in the midst of our journey. But as we grow, as life becomes more than just moments of ease, we begin to feel the weight of these words. We understand, more deeply, what they mean. And we begin to recognize the wisdom in them.

There are times when life seems to press against us, when the road ahead appears more difficult than it should be, when the weight we carry feels too heavy. This world is full of struggles—whether it’s the economic pressure many of us are feeling now, the responsibilities of leadership, or the weight of personal and familial duties. These struggles can feel overwhelming. And yet, in the middle of it all, we are reminded of what we were taught, of the poem that spoke to us when we were first becoming Brothers. “Shun not the struggle for it is God’s gift.”

What do those words really mean? What does it mean to see struggle as a gift?

When God created Adam, He placed him in a perfect world—a world without hardship, without suffering. But even in that perfect world, God gave Adam work, gave him struggle. Not because Adam was flawed, but because struggle was necessary for growth. It was through Adam’s labor, his ability to rise to the challenge, that he became more than what he was in the beginning. And so it is with us.

Struggle is not a punishment. It is a divine tool that shapes us. It is a gift given to us not to break us, but to refine us. We are not here to drift through life in search of comfort. We are here to face the challenges that come our way, knowing that in the struggle, we find our strength. We rise through adversity. We improve through our trials.

This is not to suggest that we should always seek struggle, that we should constantly place ourselves in difficult situations. But there is a difference between avoiding struggle and embracing it when it is required. We are meant to grow through life’s challenges, not to be passive in the face of them. The struggle we face today, in this tough economic climate, is not here to defeat us. It is here to make us stronger. It is through this struggle that we find the opportunity to evolve.

“Shun not the struggle, for it is God’s gift.” In these tough times, it is a reminder to us all: when life presses against us, when the burden seems too heavy, that is when we are being shaped. That is when we are growing. The tough road ahead is not one that we should shy away from; it is one that we should embrace. With each challenge we overcome, we are being made stronger, more capable, and more resilient.

Think of the weight that we carry, whether it is the responsibilities we hold in our families, in our careers, or in our roles as leaders in this Brotherhood. These burdens are not here to break us; they are here to make us. This is the nature of the struggle. It does not destroy us—it refines us. It sharpens us, molds us, and prepares us for what is yet to come.

When we first began our journey with Kappa Alpha Psi, we were taught this lesson: “Be strong, Sir.” We were taught that strength is not the absence of struggle but the presence of perseverance in the face of it. Strength comes not from avoiding difficulty but from rising to meet it, from confronting it head-on and emerging stronger for it. We are made for this.

And so, Brothers, I urge you—do not shy away from the struggle. Embrace it. See it as the gift it is, for it is through the struggle that we grow. It is in this very moment, in this time of economic uncertainty and personal challenge, that we are becoming more than we were yesterday. It is in this moment that we are building the strength we will carry into tomorrow. Be strong, Sir!