This metaphor may sound cheesy or a bit cliché, but it has been on my heart and mind recently.

Due to difficult circumstances, I struggled with bitterness and anger all throughout high school. Satan had a hold of me, and I did not put up much of a fight. Instead, I refused to see all of the good that surrounded me. I let the negativity consume me, and while I was able to put up a facade around other people, I did not like who I had become.

Attending Freed-Hardeman has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. Not only is it the place where I have made lifelong friends, but it is also the place where I discovered that Christ can overcome the hurt and the shame that we hide.

I'd like to tell you that it was an immediate transformation, but change does not happen all at once. It is a gradual thing. I still had days that left me feeling discouraged and alone, but the good days quickly began to outnumber the bad. I have learned that if you surround yourself with positively joyful individuals, your spirit will inevitably become infused with that same joy.

God knew that we would not be able to go into battle all alone. He created us uniquely, with differing strengths and abilities. These differences are not meant to cause division. They are meant to unify us. In order for true unity to be achieved we must share our burdens and rely on one another. In this way we can begin making our way towards victory together.

But now to address reaching that ultimate victory. While we need the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ, no man or woman can give us the victory. 1 John 5:4 clearly tells us how we can obtain it: "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."

There are going to be times whenever you fall to your knees in defeat. You may feel hopeless and in the depths of despair. But I have found an assurance that we can rise up again and fight another day. This assurance comes from Christ alone.

Jesus came to this earth and although he was God's son, he suffered a great deal. He was mocked and ridiculed. He was hunted as though he were an animal. His own friends betrayed him. He was beaten and experienced excruciating pain. He carried the sins of the world on his shoulders. His own father could not look upon him. He died for a world of lost sinners.

You better believe that Jesus faced discouraging days. I cannot even begin to fathom the persecution he faced, and yet he remained undefeated. Because while he was crucified upon that cross, he rose up from the grave and overcame death.

And so because of the resurrection, we are able to rise up from our misery and find a hope that is everlasting. I have found that Christ is the only one who can provide this indestructible hope. And while setbacks may come and the devil will try to drag us back down, we have comfort knowing that the war has already been won.

1 Peter 1:3-6 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.