{"id":387,"date":"2016-11-30T00:04:50","date_gmt":"2016-11-30T00:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=387"},"modified":"2016-12-09T17:09:50","modified_gmt":"2016-12-09T17:09:50","slug":"blessing-lifes-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2016\/11\/blessing-lifes-challenges.html","title":{"rendered":"The Blessing of Life\u2019s Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"pexels-photo-241322<\/a>One of the unfortunate truths is that we only grow in character and maturity when faced with challenges. If we went merrily along without conflict, frustrations or obstacles, we would be immature.\u00a0 We probably would be arrogant and think that we are better than other people who have problems.\u00a0 And if we encountered the slightest opposition in life, we would crumble because we hadn\u2019t developed the quality of resilience.<\/p>\n

As a result, challenges are not completely bad things. Rather, they are opportunities to learn and to grow.\u00a0 For instance, if someone is rude to me, I have two choices: I can be rude in return, or I can walk away from or ignore that person.\u00a0 Now anyone can respond by being rude.\u00a0 That is the immature response.\u00a0 But if I don\u2019t engage with a rude person, then I have the opportunity to develop qualities like self-control and patience.<\/p>\n

When we encounter challenges, God is looking to see how we will handle them. He wants to see how our characters are developing.\u00a0 And He wants to identify where we need to improve.<\/p>\n

Like everyone, I have challenges in life. For instance, I have to deal with people who test my patience.\u00a0 So, I do my fair share of walking away from people or just ignoring them.\u00a0 And I have family members and friends whom I worry about.\u00a0 So, I have to think of ways to encourage and support them, as opposed to simply wringing my hands.<\/p>\n

As I grow older, I find that my challenges don\u2019t decrease. Some fade away over time, and then new ones arise.\u00a0 So, just when I think, \u201cWow, I\u2019ve overcome my insecurities,\u201d lo and behold, my patience gets tested.\u00a0 Or just when I think, \u201cHey, I\u2019ve stopped procrastinating,\u201d life tosses me the challenge of having to learn to do something new.<\/p>\n

No one wants to be faced with challenges in life. We all wish life could be nothing but smooth sailing.\u00a0 But none of us are immune from hardship.\u00a0 That is why it is important to learn how to transform our problems into blessings.\u00a0 And the only way we can do that is to<\/em> learn from them. <\/em><\/p>\n

If you are facing challenges this week, ask yourself, \u201cWhat does God want me to learn from this experience? How can I handle this problem in a way that will improve my character?\u00a0 Does this problem expose a part of my character that needs work?\u201d\u00a0 Consider how you can use your challenges as the means by which you grow in maturity and wisdom.\u00a0 Turn your challenges into blessings.<\/p>\n

(Photo courtesy of Pexels)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the unfortunate truths is that we only grow in character and maturity when faced with challenges. If we went merrily along without conflict, frustrations or obstacles, we would be immature.\u00a0 We probably would be arrogant and think that we are better than other people who have problems.\u00a0 And if we encountered the slightest…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[7,15],"class_list":["post-387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-blessings","tag-challenges"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Blessing of Life\u2019s Challenges - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2016\/11\/blessing-lifes-challenges.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Blessing of Life\u2019s Challenges - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One of the unfortunate truths is that we only grow in character and maturity when faced with challenges. 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