What does your sa'i look like?

What does your sa'i look like? We all know how deflated it feels when we work out for weeks and see that the scale isn't budging. For parents, we know the difficulty in course correcting a particular behavior in our kids only to see them continue doing it. For students, you may be spending hours on an exam and the "A" goes to the student who barely lifts a finger. We all feel those moments of deflation that either a) stall our efforts or b) make us give up completely. This is an opening for truly understanding Allah's mercy and justice. How heavy the effort on the Day of Judgment when you tell Allah that you tried your best to take care of the trust you were given in your body. How beautiful the reward when Allah shows you the mountains of good deeds due to the sa'i in raising your kids with good manners. How weighty your studying will be on that Day as you forewent sleep and pleasure for the sake of excelling and gaining knowledge. I love this verse from the Qur'an:

وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الْآخِرَةَ وَسَعَىٰ لَهَا سَعْيَهَا وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُمْ مَشْكُورًا

And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it accordingly, and is a true believer, it is they whose striving will be appreciated, (Isra'a, v. 19).

Mashkoorah- Allah appreciates your striving, your effort, your pursuit for excellence.

To my persistent strivers, do not give up. Allah not only accounts for your good deeds, He, azza wa jal, is appreciative and thankful for them. What a blessed honor.