The life of a Christian is not easy. Jesus himself told his disciples that "in the world you will have trouble." But then he added, "take heart; I have overcome the world.” What a glorious thought.
In this world, we are bombarded by challenges ... temptations, jealousies, pain, suffering, loss. We can be attacked for our beliefs, or attacked for no reason at all. Challenges can manifest themselves at work or at home. The world is a broken place, and as a result, challenges abound. But God's grace abounds "much more".
In fact, pain and suffering are mechanisms for our own growth. God often uses our most pressing challenges as ways to turn us back to Himself. As we drift away from our relationship with God during the good times, it is in our challenging times where we turn back to the creator. When we face challenges in this context, we are emboldened by knowing that we are being formed and crafted into stronger beings.
As we face the challenges of this world, we know that God has a plan and will use the challenges to strengthen us. Our challenges will not defeat us, they will make us into the people we are designed to become.
“Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet[a] I will be confident.”