The Greater the Challenge, the Greater the Victory

For the longest time, I've wanted to find a good, Latin translation for the phrase "The greater the challenge, the greater the victory," just because it's an inspiring phrase and I think it'd make an awesome Latin battle-cry. As it turns out, Thomas Paine said something much like this when he wrote, "The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." So, if "The Crisis" has ever been translated into Latin, I should definitely take a look at that.

The reason I find this so inspiring is that it encourages me to attempt and persevere through difficult tasks, knowing that if I succeed, when I succeed, it will be a great accomplishment. After I've done it, I'll know that I've done something I can be proud of - something that not just anyone could have done. Almost two years ago, I blogged about something similar, stating that when we attempt to do difficult things, we really don't have very much to lose. Either we fail at the difficult task, which is normal, or we succeed at accomplishing the difficult task, which is awesome. The greater the task the task we attempt, the more awesomeness we prove ourselves as having when we succeed. The greater the challenge, the greater the victory.

So, if life is giving you a hard time, buckle down and stay strong. Your challenges are great, but you are even greater. And God is the greatest of all. With His help, you can do anything, and it will be really awesome when you do, partly because great things are great, no matter who does them, and partly because God only gives us as much help as we need, which is less than you probably think you need. Through the power of your own awesomeness, plus whatever help God grants you, you can overcome all of the challenges in your life, which is really incredible when you consider that one of the challenges that has been placed before you is to forsake all your sins and begin to become like God.

The ultimate challenge of our lives is to become as God is, and it's also, not coincidentally, the greatest victory I can imagine. Life gives us great challenges so we can have great victories, so face your challenges prayerfully and face them head on. In God's strength, you can do anything. The challenges you face today will be the victories you will celebrate in the future. So take heart and never quit. The difficult conflicts you face now are preparing you for a truly glorious triumph.