Tough times can teach us a lot -- if we let them. Our struggles reveal important insights -- but we have to look for them. Instead, we often waste time feeling sorry for ourselves, comparing our lives to (what appears to us) the trouble-free existence of our neighbors. Listen to what Epictetus -- no stranger to tough times himself -- had to say about this:

“The true man is revealed in difficult times. So when trouble comes, think of yourself as a wrestler whom God, like a trainer, has paired with a tough young buck. For what purpose? To turn you into Olympic-class material. But this is going to take some sweat to accomplish.

“From my perspective, no one’s difficulties ever gave him a better test than yours, if you are prepared to make use of them the way a wrestler makes use of an opponent in peak condition.”  -- Epictetus (1st Century Roman Stoic Philosopher)

In other words, view the struggles you’ve got — problems, temptations, setbacks — as something you can USE. Something that will make you better. Make you stronger, make you more humble, more kind. Make you a bigger person. Make you wiser.

Epictetus knew what he was talking about when it came to enduring hard things. For the first 30 years of his life, he was a slave, and endured great suffering — I don’t think “torture” is too strong a word — from his “owner.” He was able to get his freedom later in life, and went on to become a famous teacher. Today he is known as one of the great stoic philosophers of the ancient world. He never wrote anything down, but one of his students kept copious notes, and they were published after his death.

The Bible is filled with examples of men who grew by going through hard times. Joseph. Moses. David. Daniel. Peter. Paul. Those are just a few standouts, but if you think about it, pretty much every character in biblical accounts who is featured positively had some story of growth through trial and struggle.

What struggle are you facing right now? What’s stressing you out? What are you anxious about? 

Think of that problem as something God brought into your life to be your sparring partner. It’s there not to make you miserable, but to make you better. God wants to use it to train you.