I encourage you to not be afraid of pain, suffering, chaos, messiness, loss, or betrayal. They are all part and parcel of a will to live. Fyodor Dostoevsky, a Russian novelist and journalist, said, “…for suffering is life.” I know you’re thinking, Oh, that’s dark; it’s negative and suggests suffering is the nature of this life. But that’s not what he meant. In fact, Dostoevsky was a hopeful individual. He meant that if you want to truly live, you have to be okay with suffering. It’s a part of life.

We continually see this scenario played out in sports, life’s trials, in family, and in our nations. The greatest accomplishments have a price, but the price is always worth it. This is why Jesus pressed through to the cross because the Bible says there was great joy set before Him. We are faced with the challenge of being uncomfortable in order to achieve our goals. Jesus said it even better in Luke 9:24: “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” The challenge of fear and resistance won’t disappear. It will always press ahead of you as you strive to improve. The day it goes away is the day you’ve embraced a will to death and a will to fail.

Friend, often when we achieve success in life we think that our goal of sitting on a beach, playing golf or just resting will be accomplished. But what I’ve seen from many who have succeeded in life is that you still have to find something to struggle for. There is a continued pursuit of the will to live and that’s a good thing!