As unpleasant as it sounds, there’s something we should always be grateful for: our struggles.
Strange, right? Shouldn’t we be avoiding challenges, trials, and temptations? Why be grateful for them?
Because our lives are full of struggles whether we like it or not — and God uses them to help us grow. In fact, struggles are a sign of His love. They mean He wants more for us than what we already are.
The only way to grow in holiness is to be challenged and stretched. It doesn’t just happen. God doesn’t make the transition for us — we have to work for our shot at sainthood.
Think of it this way. Maybe there’s been a time you wanted to get stronger or run faster, but the weights and the treadmill sounded awful. Without the struggle of actually doing the work, those goals stay goals. We need the resistance to grow.
The same is true in the spiritual life.
So the next time life’s struggles are getting you down, give some thought to how God might be using them — to make you better, to grow in virtue, to draw you closer to Him.
Let us pray. Lord, help us to be grateful even for the struggles — trusting that You are using them to shape us into who You made us to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us.
