Challenges

Life is full of challenges; they are what helps us grow. That is, if we meet them and recognizes our challenges of life for what they are. Often we miss the opportunity and take a harder path. When we think of a challenge, we associate it with difficulty. A challenge is going to require us to push to our limits, to strive, to go beyond our comfort zone to accomplish something good and worthwhile. Some times we feel we are not up to the challenge and opt out. We want a rest, to pass on this one and not always try so hard. Quite often that easier path ends up being much more difficult and troublesome. We find ourselves in the brier patch or mire.

The struggle to shake off the natural man and become the all we can be, is our underlining quest of this life. Each time we our given a challenge to do better, the alternative in never status quo. If we are not growing we are losing ground. We do find peace in righteous doing and joy in service. The alternative often if fun at first but after a while we find that the glitter wears off and we need to work harder at what we thought was fun in order to have fun. The chores of cleaning and upkeep of our expensive recreation toys can become a real burden. The obligation to keep up our recreation and “get away” programs can quickly defeat their original purpose.

When the road gets steep and life's challenges seem to be more than we can bear, then the true purpose of life shine the brightest. It is at that critical moment that we can only succeed with help from God and without some of our weakness that all to often we cling onto for dear life, or should I say dear death. That could be the core purpose of a challenge, that it is forcing us to choose: between a higher plane and the illusion of comfort with our faults and frailties. Letting go of those weakness may be the hidden agenda of the challenge that God in His wisdom gave to us that we might grow and become more like him.

One might rightfully wonder if we keep repeating some challenge, is because we refuse to let go of weaknesses that are holding us back. The weakness we hold onto for dear life, thinking they give us comfort, security or pleasures. When in reality letting go of those sins and weakness will bring the true joy we seek.

The reason challenges are so difficult is that they do take us out of our comfort zone; they push us beyond what we perceive to be the limits of our abilities. You would think after enough time of stretching and growing that we would realize we are son and daughters of God and we can become like Him. You might think we would know that all things are possible and miracles do happen and faith is a very real element in our lives. He does love us and watch over every step we take and is crying with us in our difficulties, yet as a Wise and All-Knowing God he give us the freedom to grow and change through challenges that push us far beyond who we are, to what we ought to be.

Our comfort is in that he will never let us be tempted beyond our capacity. That is, if we turn to him, he is might to save. Repentance is just another perspective to challenges. This essential element of life is where wisdom comes from. Our objective is not to necessary winning every challenge that confronts us, but just to endure to the end.

We are taught that man is that he might have joy. Joy is the result of effort and has a lasting impact. Fun and good times are often an instant release of excitement and the pleasure. Fun is often derived more from the change and release than from the effort to do something. That is why fun wears thin so fast.

Just as curses are given to us to confront our weakness, challenges are given that we might confront our strengths. May we meet our challenges and do well.