My bookshelves are filled with the names of people who left a mark on history. As I read their names I realize that a common component in each of their lives was the presence of great challenges. In this broken world we will always be confronted with challenges. The task is not how much we can complain about those challenges, but how much we can overcome them.

The quickest way to lose a battle is to believe there is no battle to fight. The idea that life owes us convenience can become a handicap to our spiritual maturity. Paul said that he wanted to know the power of Christ’s resurrection and share in His sufferings. Resurrection is only needed when something has died and it’s in the sharing of Jesus sufferings that we witness the power of His healing.

It is true that we live in a dark world and challenging times. But it is in the darkest moments that light has the ability to shine the brightest. It’s in the brokenness of our world that the power of God’s redemption can be displayed. The challenges of our time are not reasons for our defeat. They are opportunities to overcome and show that love defeats hate; righteousness conquers evil; truth trumps deceit; and Christ has conquered the grave.

Let’s stop complaining and, by faith, start overcoming.