“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” - Bernice Johnson Reagon

For years this quote hung as a simple decoration, silently in my room. Its meaning subtly engraved in my heart but never truly resonating with me until recently, in accordance with some self-reflection.

Everybody has his or her own challenges. We deal with life’s highs and life’s lows. Constantly adjusting, constantly adapting, but sometimes, it gets to be too much and it consumes our mentality at that moment. It can send us spiraling downward into a valley so deep it almost seems impossible to get out of. But we emerge, we conquer and we continue onward. The question is, do we look back? Some people say no. But why? Yes, we shouldn’t linger and get stuck in a standstill, never moving forward; however, we should occasionally turn around and reflect with some inquiry. It was conquering that valley that has brought us to the point that we are at now, the person who we, as individuals, have become. Each challenge shapes us and teaches us things about ourselves that we wouldn’t have otherwise known had we not had that experience. The deeper the valley, the more gathered from it.

Where does the willpower to fight through the pain and the difficulty come from? The answer is simply faith — faith that things will get better, faith that there is more out there than what you are dealing with, faith that brighter days lie straight ahead, and faith fueled by Christ who reminds us that we were fearfully and wonderfully made with the full capability to handle the things that seem to break us. When we look back at the seemingly impossible task of overcoming the toughest moments in our lives, we realize that we didn’t do it alone — that the most loving, stable, and persistent caretaker that has ever been a part of our lives was there the whole time guiding us.

The times in which we turned our backs to Him and told Him that we could push through on our own, we quickly realized that we couldn’t. We began sinking into the valley, a puddle of quicksand pulling us in deeper and deeper. In a time of desperation we cried out to him and begged Him, asking for forgiveness, and finally extending a hand. Without hesitation, despite our wrongdoing, his grace quickly reaches out and pulls us out. Back on our feet we push forward and fight, never losing faith, and with Christ behind us, we make it to the top of the valley, looking down at where we were not long ago. At that moment, looking back, we realize that we couldn’t have done it without Him and it is the consistent reflection on that time in life where we remind ourselves that it was because we were not alone that we triumphed.

Like I said before, we all have our own challenges. No matter how big or how small they may seem, they matter and no one should have to go through them alone. In fact no one is going through anything alone. With the loving God that we know, whether you believe in Him or don’t believe, He will always believe in you. Those moments where you feel so far from Him, he’s standing right by your side, watching over you because you are His. He invested his soul into making you and whatever pain you feel, he feels, whatever you go through, he goes through, whatever makes you happy, makes him happy (unless it's sin or detrimental to us, obviously).

It’s incredible to think that we have somebody in our life so devoted, but his invisibility is what deters many, but that’s where faith stems. It’s the consistent belief in something unimaginable that proves existence everyday. The understanding that there is somebody that is willing to climb those mountains and conquer those valleys with us — seems almost like a relationship right? Well it is. It is the most beautiful and fulfilling relationship known to man that survives on the purest form of faith and love. With this within us, we can overcome anything and we only become stronger day to day.

You learn a lot about yourself while fighting through life. You slowly reveal to yourself and others the person that God has created you to be. Turning around and looking back at who you were to who you are now, you see everything that has slowly shaped and matured you. God reminds you that had you not seen what you did, felt how you felt, gone through what you went through, you would not have known as much about yourself as you do now. Whether it happened to teach you how strong you are, how resilient you can be, how to be independent or self-sufficient, or simply providing a period of growth, he turns you around and lets you know that it all happened for a reason.

To those going through a challenge now, don’t let anybody undermine what you are going through. Again, no matter how big or how small it is, it matters and you are not alone. You are important, loved, and cherished even though it feels so far from it. Don’t let anything deter you from the truth, whether it be others or the most powerful voice, your own self that has lost the voice of Christ.

To those who know someone going through a rough patch in life, lend a hand. In an increasingly apathetic world we need to take initiative to be the ones that prevent desensitization towards each other. Continue to feel, continue to express emotions, continue to empathize. Be there for each other as much as God is there for us, because we are his hands. As one race, we must support, care, and love on another as He loves us.

In conclusion just remind yourself, it’s who I am. You are your own. Wonderfully made, carefully crafted with the same hands that crafted the beautiful complexity of Earth. Don’t fear but embrace the challenges that you have been through. Even though they may be the toughest times to look back upon, you are a stronger person because of them. You are spirited, never alone, guarded and supported by the greatest God and that, in itself, makes you indestructible.