Paths Without Obstacles Don’t Lead Anywhere.

    To get to the Promised Land, you'll have to navigate your way through the wilderness. All of us encounter obstacles, problems, and challenges across our path and how we respond to them and view them is one of the most important decisions we make. "Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full-bloom, then you'll be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete" (James 1:2-4, LB).

    A man with twenty difficulties is twice as alive as a man with ten. If you haven't got any challenges, you should get down on your knees and ask, "Lord, don't you trust me anymore?" So, what if you've got problems? That's good! Why? Consistent victories over your problems are like steps on your stairway to success. Be thankful for your obstacles, for if they were less difficult, someone with less ability would have your job.

    "A successful man will never see the day that does not bring a fresh quota of problems, and the mark of success is to deal with them effectively" (Lauris Norstad). James Bilkey observed, "You will never be the person you can be if pressure, tension and discipline are taken out of your life.” Refuse to let yourself become discouraged by temporary setbacks. If you are beginning to encounter some hard bumps, don't worry. At least you’re out of a rut. Circumstances are not your master.
Two women were talking and the one asks the other how many times she's been married, and the reply was 4. 'Four times!' exclaimed the first woman, why so many?
So the other woman said: 'Well, I first got married when I was very young, and I married this wonderful man who was a banker. However, one day just a few weeks after we were married, his bank was robbed, and he was shot and killed.'
'Oh my gosh, that's terrible' the first woman said.
'Well, it wasn't that tragic. Soon after that, I started seeing another man who performed in the circus. He was really a great guy, but he lived dangerously because he performed his high-wire act without a net. Well, a few weeks after we got married, he was performing a show and suddenly a gust of wind came by and knocked him off his wire and he was killed.'
'Your second husband was killed too?! That's horrible!'
'Yes, it was terrible, but at the funeral I fell in love with the minister, and we got married soon after that. Unfortunately, one Sunday while he was walking to church, he was hit by a car and killed.'

'Three??? Three husbands of yours were killed? How could you live through all that?'
'It was tough, but then I met my present husband. And he's a wonderful man. I think we'll live a long happy life together.'
'And what does your present husband do for a living?'
'He's a mortician.'
'A mortician? I don't understand something here. First you marry a banker, then a circus performer, then a minister, and now a mortician? Why such a diverse group of husbands?'
'Well, if you think about it, it's not too hard to understand...
One for the money...
Two for the show...
Three to get ready...
And four to go!'
    You can always tell a lot about a woman or man by the number of challenges it takes to discourage them. When the water starts to rise, you can too! You can go over, not under. "Obstacles across our path can be spiritual flat tires—disruptions in our lives seem to be disastrous at the time, but end by redirecting our lives in a meaningful way" (Bernie Siegel, M.D.).

    The truth is, if you find a path with no obstacles—it’s probably a path that doesn't lead to anywhere important. Adversity is the mother of invention. And man's adversity is always God's opportunity. Adversity gives birth to opportunity. "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33, NIV).

    "What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude towards it. Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity" (J. Sidlo Baxter). "Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity" (Lou Holtz). Many people have good intentions, but something bad happens and they simply stop. Every path has a puddle, but those puddles can be God telling us where to step.

    The travel is worthy of the travail when you're on the right road. Just recognize life is challenging…then things will be much easier for you. "Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don't have any problems, you don't get any seeds" (Norman Vincent Peale). Live your life so you can say, "I've had a life full of challenges, thank God!"