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Challenges and Lost Opportunities
How many allow possible challenges to prevent them from stepping into God-given opportunities? They disqualify themselves, because they feel incompetent, or overwhelmed due to their size and scope. Let’s not forget the fear of the unknown, and how it challenges their comfort zones. Sadly, several will be haunted by what could have been, because they did not act. When the Lord presents you an open door, will you step through?
Challenges are Good
Because of our love of comfort, the idea of challenges being good may seem counterintuitive. To be sure, it’s not always fun to feel pushed. However, a life of ease is not necessarily a life of rest. Facing challenges may actually teach you how to rest in the Lord. Comfort zones spiritually lull people to sleep; challenges wake them out of their slumber. Challenges require faith, and dependence on God. Staying in those comfort zones, not so much. Generally, obstacles will escort you on the road to growth.
The hard things in life often reveal the faithfulness of God, which leads to deeper trust in Him. Think about this: those who trust God the most are often those who had to face the most. You cannot walk by faith apart from trust. When you ask God to help you trust Him, you can be sure there will be a trial involved.
1 Peter 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Challenges Reveal Character
Pressure has a funny way of bringing things to the surface. It reveals both strengths and weaknesses, including one’s integrity or the lack thereof. What are you willing to do to get through it? Similar to a previous point, it will uncover whether you actually walk by faith and trust God; and if you don’t, it will present an opportunity for you to begin.
Another aspect of challenges is they show on what or whom you depend. Do you use manipulation with its various forms, or do you seek God’s wisdom. Do you lean on your own understanding, or on His? Some fold and become despondent; while others see an opportunity for God to show up. In fact, His peace rules in their hearts, because they have learned to trust Him due to adversity.
Challenges Teach Us How to Rest
Every so often, you may hear a story about someone who was drowning in anxiety and fear, until they surrendered everything to God. That’s when peace flooded his or her heart. Learning to let go and let God is a key ingredient in overcoming challenges. It takes a lot of pressure off when one realizes he doesn’t have to have all the answers; he just needs to know the One Who does. It truly is comforting to have a faithful Father Who certainly knows everything, especially when we know so very little.
Jesus invited us to rest: Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).
When we come to the point of surrender, and let go of trying to control everything, we position ourselves to be in a place of rest. As we listen to instruction from Holy Spirit, we are able to navigate through whatever comes our way, while maintaining a position of peace. Without those occasional challenges, we may not learn how to enter into His rest.
Hebrews 4:10-11 For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
