American Revolution.

War of 1812.

Indian Wars.

Mexican War.

Civil War.

Spanish-American War.

World War I.

World War II.

Korean War.

Vietnam War.

Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

Nicholas Cage's accent in Con Air.

Any guesses?

Those are some of the most challenging struggles our nation has ever faced. The United States of America is widely considered the greatest country in history, and we don’t even really have that much history in the grand scheme of things. During our short run, we’ve made some remarkable strides, but it would be foolish for us to believe that our struggles are over.

I get it, those were pretty big deals and not to be compared, but do you ever experience struggle? Maybe not something as significant as a world war, but what about a struggle within your own mind?

What about in your relationship?

What about in your job?

What about with your neighbor?

What about during your commute to and from home?

What about with your faith?

Should our goal be to avoid struggle?

If Frederick Douglas was correct, it stands to reason that we should not only expect trouble, but almost welcome it.

The same as with weight-training, if you experience it once and have no clue what you are doing, it’s going to hurt for days, make you walk like a wounded animal, possibly cause damage, and make you want to avoid it in the future. However, with proper knowledge, application, and consistency, struggles can make you incredibly stronger and capable of managing whatever load is placed on you next.

There are people all around us who have struggled mightily in their lives. Some have become successful through their struggles, and some have become broken and tattered. What is the difference?