Chapter 5
STRENGTH IN TIME OF CHALLENGES
“We turn to God in time of challenges not knowing that he’s the one shaking the foundations”
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There's something about challenges; they aren't there to harm us but to make us better. God is aware of everything that happens to you. Whether good or bad, he is still in control. He knew that at this point you will lose your job. He knew at this point you will be encountering such challenges all around you. He even says, all these are meant for our own good. So if you want to be a better person tomorrow then you should embrace challenges.
Another thing is that all challenges are not permanent. This means that they are not here to last. Another thing is that no challenge will come that is not common to all men. No challenge will come to you unless you have the power to overcome it. The final thing about challenges is that, there's always a way out. Did you know that many people are scared of challenges? If you are a person who wants the best in life, then you should be aware that you must go through challenges on your way to your desired end. There are two things here, the desired end and the challenges. Our desired end is beautiful but the challenges are scary.
Where you place your eyes and focus determines your feelings. When you get your eyes off the goal you see scary things and you become afraid. Therefore, challenges are those scary things that we see when we get our eyes off the goal. There are always two opposites acting on us. Where we set our focus determines our feelings/attitude. If our wonderful destiny is as bright as light remember you are in between it and the present you are planning to change. The present maybe unpleasant and full of challenges just like darkens but remember that whenever you come in between light and something else there will always be a shadow. So long as there is light from one direction, shadows will always be there on the opposite direction. Challenges will always be there but the only thing they normally do is, give temporary darkness. To put your focus on the source of light you will never see the shadow and this principle applies to life. If we put our eyes on the dream, we will never notice the challenges as limitations but as stepping stones.
Its not easy especially when faced by hard times from every side. It gets so easy to forget all that we've managed to go through in the past, all the sweet and happy moments that we've experienced before. We get our focus on the problem and the pain that we are facing not knowing that after a while it shall pass.
When we focus on the problem we develop fear. Fear compels worry which gives a very small problem a big shadow. Before we know it we are afraid to hold on. Afraid to persevere then we start seeing how things will never work out right. We start comparing our stories with other failures, how so and so didn't make it. We start believing a “loser” kind of mentality. We then adjust our goals and ambitions to be easier or lower than we had set before while trying to convince ourselves that we were not realistic before. We then end up asking for just a little to live by.
This is not how it is supposed to be. We are not meant to be losers. Life wasn't designed to bring endless pain but for us to enjoy as it shows forth the glory of God. I know of a place so beautiful and wonderful where there wont be night or troubles. Somewhere we all look up to as we wait for that promise but then, we are still here on earth. We have a life to live and whatever the purpose is which I clearly know as to give God glory through worship, we are not alive just to suffer. Look around us and you will see happiness being embraced by some people. Others are sharing in the joy of living while others are complaining.
The truth is that everyone has their own challenges and that no one has a special challenge that someone else hasn't or will never go through. We all go through hard times, the rich also cry. Obstacles are real, they face everybody. In fact, if you shared your problem with someone, you might realize that they are going through a bigger one than you do yet you thought they will help you or console you. The bigger the position one is in, the bigger the challenge. Remember that the bigger the engine, the more the fuel it consumes. I have come to a conclusion that challenges are real and are inevitable. They will always be there, no matter the position you are in, no matter how much you have or you don't have and to make it clearer, you cant run away from challenges. They have always been there and will always be there. So don't expect for a moment when there wont be challenges.
Now that there are all these challenges how can someone be happy? Believe me, there are lots of happy people out there, people who have chosen not to look at challenges as obstacles but as stepping stones. They don't necessary smile at challenges, but they have chosen to know that they are only going through them and soon they'll come out better than they were. Many people have found an open door to their dreams in the midst of challenges. Some have found happiness while they were in the midst of tears and pain.
Choose to believe and expect something good from every challenge. Know that God loves you so much that he wont bring something to harm you. A parent always knows what's best for his or her child. Sometimes the baby maybe comfortable doing something that is going to harm him/her or wont be helpful and when the parent beats her up, its not to harm her but to teach her the right way. Its not always that challenges are coming to punish us, sometimes to get us to where we are supposed to be.
When an eagle learns that its eaglets are old enough to survive on their own and should start learning to fly, it removes the comfort of the nest, leaving it very uncomfortable for the eaglet to just lie by. This forces it to get out and jump or sometimes it pushes it down a big slope forcing it to flap its wings while trying to fly. One other reason why its too uncomfortable where you are is another sign that you have overstayed your visit in that position. God used afflictions even in the New Testament to move Philip to Samaria where he wanted to have him preach.
In the midst of challenges, ask God to open your eyes to see what he wants you to see. To hear what he wants you to hear rather than to ask him to remove the challenges. I believe that if we embrace the challenges and look at them as stepping stones and opportunities to make us better we could quickly learn the lesson from them and move on in life not feeling sad or unhappy.
Realize that “whenever the pain is so big, the opportunity is also bigger”. Keep on doing what you can do bearing in mind that just like it has always passed before, it too shall pass, after a while.
Sometimes, challenges allow us to move forward they stop something and allow the other. “Just like friction hinders you from sliding it also helps you walk”. Learn to change the way you look at things. “The world around you is like a mirror, it reflects what's on your inside”. If you portray a negative image, you'll see a negative reflection. Portray a positive one and you'll see the world smiling at you.
First accept that, challenges are there and will always be there then ask God to open your eyes to see what he wants you to see. Be willing to jump and fly and be sure he doesnt want to harm you. He wants to teach you how to live your potential. He knows that you are not perfect at first, and that is why he stands behind you to catch you and pick you up again so that you wont hurt yourself.
Hell be there until you can fly. Instead of crying and complaining, stop and look for the way out, it is always there. you'll find a door that takes you somewhere else or that breaks the barriers and allows you to move on. “Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning”.