Challenge Accepted!

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I'm not even going to lie. . . over the holidays when coffee was spilled on my laptop computer and I was later delivered the news that it could not be repaired. . . I lost it.

Being the godly woman I am (smile), I’d love to report that I handled it with such grace, patience, and composure, but let me be real with you: my response was not cute. I was days away from finishing a project I had hoped to publish and now every last one of my files were gone. I was inching closer to my “financial savings” goal and here comes this new major expense. #PerfectTiming #MerryChristmas

For two days I sulked around the house, retold my story to friends, and revelled in self-pity. The more I thought about what I was losing, the more sad and frustrated I became. On the third day, I woke up puffy-eyed and exhausted.
As I knelt down for my morning prayers, waiting for the Lord to comfort me, all I heard from Him was:

"Girl, wipe those tears and get up!"

Wait, excuse me, what? Didn’t God see my troubles? Didn’t God recognize how hard I had worked and how much this would cost? Did He not care about my feelings?!

After I picked my mouth up off the floor in shock by what felt like God’s insensitivity, I recognized His correction as tough love. More than my feelings, He cared about my growth.

A major goal and prayer of mine has been for emotional and spiritual stability: not allowing the circumstances of life to sour my attitude, thwart my faith, or shake my identity. And there I was. . .

praying for this strength but rejecting the opportunity to develop it . . .
asking for progress, but unwilling to endure a challenging trial.

So what about you? Have you been praying for progress, growth, or development, but not recognizing that the training has begun?

Sometimes God’s answered prayers come in disguise. They come as difficulties strategically crafted to birth something inside of you. They come as problems divinely ordained to push you to the next level. Are you accepting the challenge or are you blind to this opportunity for breakthrough?

The challenge is in motion, my friend. Take courage, ask for strength, and accept it. There is progress, growth, and development on the other side.