5 Reasons To Embrace Challenges

We are not immune to life’s tussles; inflation-bursting household bills, broken promises, health problems, nights on hospital bed, childcare dilemma, difficult career demands and decisions, bank balance in the red… the list is endless.

This week, a colleague asked me how to deal with an unreasonable boss making life difficult for him. Do I tell him to quit and move on? Do I tell him to give his boss a piece of his mind? No. Instead, he needed to hang in there and find a way.

There’s always a way to deal with life’s many problems. God always makes a way.

Only two options

I’ve had my fair share of challenges and still do. Trust me, I do. But like you, I have only two options – quit or keep fighting till I win. Each day bring its own challenges. Life tells us to give up. But you must choose to hope and not give up. It’s by no means an easy ride but grace abounds.

Scripture says

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” — Psalm 46:1. 

Words like this revive my spirit and help me embrace the finite setbacks I experience, knowing they all come but to pass.

Overcoming life’s challenges must be preceded by embracing them. By embrace, I don’t mean to accept the status quo but to face them with God-inspired courage, strength and resolve.

So here are 5 reasons I believe we must embrace challenges.

Reason 1: Opportunities abound

Challenges present us opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. No one ever learned their deepest lessons in times of ease. Ask anyone. Our deepest growth happen when we are stretched.

We can easily lose sight of the forest for the trees. Every challenge is an opportunity for something bigger and better. Ask Joseph!

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today — Genesis 50:20.

Reason 2: We are NOT God

Challenges reveal our limitations. We are human. We are finite. We are limited. We don’t know everything. And certainly cannot do everything.

But that’s good news. We may be limited, but through the experience of the impossible, we can connect with the One who can do all things. Challenges offer us a platform to rise above the natural and connect with the Supernatual.

Reason 3: Trust in another

Challenges teach us to depend on another — GOD. We do this through prayer, fasting, studying the Bible and waiting (literally). Do you feel like you’ve exhausted all your wisdom and resources? Have you come to your wits’ end?

Maybe you haven’t tried one more option — TRUST in GOD. Through life’s challenges, we learn to trust in the One who is bigger than the storm.

Reason 4: Humility

Challenges humble us. This kind of humbling becomes a blessing when we respond with trust in God. Jesus embraced His challenges. He humbled Himself to death on Calvary. If he hadn’t, there’d be no salvation.

You have an opportunity to embrace yours today. Your courage today could bring hope to someone tomorrow. Humbly embrace your challenges.

Reason 5: It’s not about us

Challenges remind us life is not about us and helps us examine our lives and priorities. We can easily lose sight of the big, GOD picture when life ‘happens’ on our own terms. We can become self-centered and forget there is a purpose bigger than life itself.

Would you embrace your challenges today by embedding these 5 reasons into your life? Challenges are inevitable but remember…

The Lord of hosts is with you, the God of Jacob is your refuge – Psalm 46:7.

Why do you embrace challenges?

Image courtesy of Flickr | Pensa-Art