1456) If you’re like me, I desire a painless life, and if it’s unavoidable, I pray to God to either take it away or give me the strength to overcome it. I do not pray to just get by, or barely survive. My question then becomes, does just getting by in this life equal a victory in my spiritual walk? Sometimes!

John 15:9 tells us Jesus loves us as the Father has loved me. What a wonderful promise and because of its power, I can overlook the rest of the verse. It says, Remain in my love. This word, remain, means to survive and when I do, I need to learn to acknowledge survival with rejoicing because it comes as a result of God’s love.

Sometimes, simply putting one foot in front of the other, even if it means you are stumbling while you do, is a victory. Why? Because God helped you take that step. If you need more information to convince you, just think about others who could not even take that small step.

Survival is worth acknowledgment and praise because it is a gift from God.