When we truly begin to consider what the existence of God really means to us, we undergo incredible paradigm shifts. When we think with our “spiritual” minds instead of our “physical” brains, reality changes all of a sudden and we look at the world and ourselves in ways we had not considered before. Perhaps one of the most incredible of these “mind shifts” is how we see and understand the challenges we face in life.
Normally, challenges are just that for us: hurdles that get in the way of us leading happy lives. Most are nuisances, things we should avoid whenever possible. Others, on the other hand, are quite daunting – to a point they can even be life defining, altering, or threatening. Often, some of these obstacles appear insurmountable at first; in extreme cases, they can seem so overwhelming that we think there is no solution at all other than taking our own lives. (If only we all knew there is no death and no escape from ourselves!) Regardless of how large or how small, how simple or how complex, our traditional take on what challenges are in general goes like this: we could all do without them; we would much rather they did not exist at all!
Enter God – our understanding of what God really is, rather. When we take the time to really reflect on what God is, a momentous thing happens: we completely shift our understanding of what challenges are. Try this on for size for a minute: our general definition of God is that God is an entity that is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good. If God were neither one of these three things, God simply wouldn’t be perfect and, thus, God would not be God — by definition. How could God be God-with-a-capital-“G” if not all-powerful? How about all-knowing? Most importantly: how can we conceive of a God that is not all-good? Without complete power, knowledge, and goodness, God would not control all of creation – and thus, again, not be God by definition.
Now, also consider the opposite: if God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good, then it also follows that God knows how much we can handle individually — for God knows everything. Also, because God is all-powerful, God controls everything, including the challenges we face. Further, if God were to give us a problem we cannot overcome, then God would not be all-good, negating the definition of God — and thus not being God. Whichever way we rationally look at this, then, we arrive at a powerful conclusion: God only gives us obstacles we can handle.
Therefore, we can only conclude that we can handle all the rocks life throws at us. Even if we do not think so, we are capable of facing the most adverse situations life can manifest for us. God, by design, has made it so. If we believe in God, we must necessarily arrive at that realization. The only remaining question for us is how to face these difficult problems – and with whom to face them; we need not go through them alone, nor will they necessarily be solved the way we want them to. Still, the resounding lesson here is that our challenges are given to us according to our ability to overcome them. In that sense, our challenges are subtle compliments to our capacity to solve them. That is a significant departure from our original concept of what hurdles are, isn’t it?
When you face a particular challenge, then, remember this because it bears repeating: God only gives you challenges that you can overcome. The larger the challenge you face, the greater the compliment God and the universe are paying to you — and your ability to tackle them.
The larger the challenge you face, the greater the compliment God and the universe are paying to you — and your ability to tackle them.
We can even go a step further: given that God is all-good and all-loving, God wants you to always progress, always be better, to be the best possible version of you. So, it may be fair to say that, if you are not already trying to do exactly that, an obstacle or two may come your way to ensure you keep moving forward. Therefore, expect obstacles in your life. Through them we learn and grow.
We may still struggle, of course, and ask questions as to why we face the challenges we do. Such questions are important too; from a learning perspective, we do not want to find ourselves repeating the same problems, facing the same hurdles time and time again. Others, such as why do some people seem to face more challenges than others, are more complex and can only be answered through understanding the role reincarnation plays in our spiritual evolution — but that’s perhaps the topic for another time. What is important for us to remember is that all problems are solvable — even if they may not be solved exactly the way we want them to be, there is a solution for them.
Above all, though, remember this: the obstacles you face in life are subtle compliments to your ability to solve them and to progress. They are, in a manner of speaking, God whispering to you: “it’s time to grow even more; you can handle this! Get ready to be better!” Next time life presents you with a challenge, tap into your “spiritual” mind to remember that you are ready and able to overcome it — and rejoice! You are spiritually growing!
