Obstacles to Be Conquered

     The one who conquers,

 I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.

 Never shall he go out of it, 

and I will write on him the name of my God,..

Revelation 3:12a

     Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, 

or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 

As it is written,     “For your sake

 we are being killed all the day long;
        we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
    No, in all these things we are more than conquerors 

through him who loved us.
(Romans 8:35-37 ESV)

Challenges are merely obstacles to be conquered!

Yesterday, and I can't even remember now what provoked it, but I thought to myself (about something), "Now, this is a real challenge."  I don't know about you, but my first thought with a challenge is often, "Oh, no, I don't want to do this.  It's too hard."  What a lazy bum!  But yesterday, my thought was, "This is merely an obstacle to conquer."  Hence, my new motto!  

Do you think that the two cute little old people walking away together in this picture lived a life of no worries, no sickness, no arguments, no financial problems, no challenges with their children?  I think not.  They met the challenges in marriage head on and conquered them, thus surviving for 65 years.  I have been married for almost 44 years, and my husband can testify to the obstacles to marital bliss! :o)

All of life has its challenges.  I dread going out to exercise.  Getting up in the morning and reading my Bible can be a challenge when I'm tired or sleepy.  Teaching an ADD 12 year old can be a challenge. Turning off the television, going to visit someone when I'd rather do something else, recovering from an illness, surviving a tragedy, obeying parents or other authority when I don't agree with them--life is full of challenges.  Why, just living with myself is even a challenge!  

 With the right attitude, we can be more than conquerors in any challenge that God (or Satan) puts in our path.  Not all challenges are from the devil.  The Lord allows them, too, for our good.  I encourage each of us today to consider that, and to consider them merely an obstacle to be overcome--in the strength of the Lord.

With a new motto,

Gloria