As you move toward your goals, obstacles will arise in your path.
These obstacles exist to challenge you.
They will force you to confront your dedication.
If you are looking for a reason to turn back, you will have many such opportunities along the way.
A worthwhile pursuit is never convenient.
You must decide before you begin that your purpose is more important than your comfort.
The obstacles that arise in front of you become your teachers.
You do not need to sacrifice your gentleness in order to be strong.
True strength is not rigid or forceful.
It is flexible and adaptable.
Under enough pressure, that which is rigid breaks.
That which is overly forceful is resisted in kind.
True strength bends without breaking, is persistent without being forceful, and adjusts as needs require.
Do not sacrifice your gentleness in order to be strong because there is strength in gentleness there is gentleness in strength.
Not everything you start needs to be seen to completion.
Some tasks, projects, or even relationships are not worth the investment in time, energy, and attention they require.
Simply because you have invested in something does not mean it will pay off or that it is worth further investment.
But if it matters to you, if success in this endeavor is important and meaningful, you can not and you must not quit simply because it is difficult.
Setbacks, obstacles, and failure are not only part of the path to success in a worthwhile endeavor, they are the path to success.
For this reason, when you meet difficulty along the way, it is not a sign that you should stop or change course, but that you should keep going.
The way around is through.
If we challenge ourselves often enough, we will reach our breaking point. We will feel like we want to quit.
In these moments, if we do not quit, if we persevere and push forward, we will learn things about ourselves and tap into parts of ourselves that would otherwise remain hidden.
We may still fail. Persistence does not guarantee success.
But this failure will always be worth the effort.
Abuse is not meant to be tolerated.
There are situations or circumstances, however, wherein our very survival may depend upon our ability to tolerate the otherwise intolerable.
If we can do this and it does not break us in the process, we will be stronger, wiser, and hopefully more compassionate for the experience.
And yet, abuse is not meant to be tolerated.
Meditations on God 