Discovering God in Times of Testing

Can you imagine what the marble must have looked like
before Michelangelo began carving his "Pieta"?

There’s an adage we sometimes hear that we can learn more from failure than we do from success. We could offer a variety of possible reasons for this, but my experience and that of many people I know is that, whether we like it or not, it’s true.

Success might be the result of vision, hard work and determination. But it might also be a product of being in the right place at the right time, or happenstance. Causes for failure, however, are usually easier to identify: Poor judgment; bad planning; not working hard enough; unwillingness to persevere, quitting too soon; downright sinful wrongdoing. Those are just some of possible contributors to failure.

 

But there’s another one we don’t often consider: God might be allowing adversity in our lives because He has some lessons we need to learn. The Bible calls it “testing,” “tribulations” or “trials.” 

 

One of the earliest references in the Scriptures is Deuteronomy, after God had given to Moses His commandments and instructions for the people of Israel. Referring to the nomadic journey the Lord had taken them on after their escape from slavery in Egypt, Moses said, “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands” (Deuteronomy 8:2).

 

If ever there were a stiff-necked people, it was the Israelites whom God had specifically and specially chosen to be His own people. He could have chosen many other people groups, but the people of Israel were those He ordained to be His for eternity. During their 40-year wanderings, they had rebelled against Him on numerous occasions. So, He kept them in the wilderness for four decades, not only to test what was in their hearts but also to shape their character for the future He had for them.

 

A number of New Testament passages speak to this as well. In James 1:3-4, the apostle exhorts his readers, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Verses later James adds, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).

 

There’s a similar statement in the short book of 1 Peter. After opening his letter to readers he calls “God’s elect, strangers in the world…,” Peter encourages, “In this you greatly rejoice, though for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – or greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus is revealed” (1 Peter 1:1,7).

 

We could cite many other passages, but it’s clear that what we often regard as failure, or mistakenly believe to be the result of sinful disobedience, might actually part of the refining process God uses to mold and shape us into the people He desires for us to be.

 

I can think of many times of testing in my life, times when I often wondered, ‘What did I do wrong?’ ‘Why is this happening?’ The benefits of the testing began when I shifted my questioning to ask, ‘What are you trying to teach me, Lord?’ 

 

There was the time when after leaving the newspaper business to join the staff of a Christian ministry, our house in our former city sat on the market for an entire year. All the while we struggled to meet mortgage payments on that house and the house we had bought, along with a bridge loan to buy the purchase of the new house in the interim. 

 

During that time, I dug deeply and diligently into the Scriptures, seeking to learn that “nugget” God was trying to teach me. I learned many things over that period, but the most important was this: The Lord telling me, “I am God, Bob, and you’re not!” He was eagerly working to break down my self-sufficiency and learn to trust Him, no matter the circumstances.

 

Since then, I and my family have dealt with testing in many forms. We felt fear at times, as well as anger, frustration, you name it. But God knew exactly what He was doing. And we’ve learned much as we’ve gone through the process.

 

Some sculptors, they say, work on a block of granite or marble simply chipping away at everything that does not look like the image they have formed in their mind’s eye. I imagine God doing the same with us, knowing how broken we all are, and slowly chipping away at our flaws, determined to transform us into the image of His Son. 

As 1 John 3:2 says, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” Wow! If that’s the outcome of God’s faithful and loving testing in our lives, I’m all for it. How about you? 

Key Ingredients for Marriages That Last and Last

On those rare but delightful times when we hear of a couple who have been married for a really long time, like 60 or even 70 years, what comes to your mind? Besides the phrase, “No way!”?

 

What would you suppose is their secret to marital longevity, their “special sauce” that has kept them from divorcing, or even murdering one another, all those years?

 

We could start with the obvious: To be married for a very long time, you have to live for a very long time. Duh! But there’s got to be more to being able to keep a marriage alive – and thriving – than just continuing to breathe. 

 

Suppose someone were to ask you to identify the keys or “ingredients” for a long marriage. How would you respond? Especially in our times when terms like “’til death do us part” and “for better or for worse” are increasingly being omitted from marriage vows. These days it’s more like, ‘Hey, we’ll give this a shot and see how it works out. We can always bail if things aren’t going to our liking.’

 

What qualities do you think would contribute to keeping a marriage strong and enduring, defining that as one that has lasted at least several decades? We could probably suggest dozens of qualities that can help keep a marriage healthy, things such as love; communication; common or at least complementary interests; understanding; mutual support; patience, and forgiveness. 

 

For marriages that have thrived for decades, many of those qualities have probably contributed to their success. But I’d suggest two other factors that in my experience have made the difference, keeping a marriage off the casualty list. They are: perseverance and faith.

 

Perseverance, as I would define it, is the determination to press on when quitting might sound like a good idea. This means more than enduring, because endurance can simply involve trying to wait out a storm until it passes. Perseverance also means taking action, addressing the crisis and striving to work toward a workable resolution. 

 

We’ve all heard the old saying “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Applied to marriage, this doesn’t mean leaving. It means hanging in there – persevering to do the work necessary to keep the U.S.S. Marriage afloat and sailing forward. Because once the illusions of the wedding day give way to the daily realities of living together, it takes a lot more than sex and warm, gushy feelings of love to stay the course.

 

Two Bible passages speak directly to this, although the context isn’t limited just to the institution of marriage. In Romans 5:3-5, the apostle Paul speaks to how we cope with adversity: “…we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” 

 

God can use the inevitable hard times of life – our sufferings – to produce perseverance, which builds character, and then hope. Paul definitely was one well-acquainted with sufferings and adversity in many forms. For him, hope wasn’t just wishful thinking or a “hope-so,” but a confident assurance that with God’s enabling power he could persevere through the struggle.

 

The second passage, written by the apostle James, conveys a similar idea: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

 

For followers of Christ, as much as we might not like it, our faith grows best during seasons of trial. Just as the rings of a tree that have grown during adverse conditions produce the strongest wood, trials that test our faith can result in the strongest marriage, career, or any other worthwhile pursuit.

 

Today my wife and I celebrate 49 years of marriage, almost five decades of marital bliss. Just kidding – there have been many times that weren’t anything close to blissful. But together we’ve persevered. We’ve gone through major job changes, financial struggles, severe health problems and family challenges. But God has seen us through them all, and we know He’ll do the same with issues we confront in the future.

 

Much of the credit goes to my wife who in some respects had to sacrifice more than I have. Including simply putting up with me! But the lion’s share of the credit must go to the Lord Jesus, who has been the foundation for our marriage and our family, as well as the glue keeping us together when circumstances could have torn us apart.

Together we have experienced the reality of His promise, “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). As in all things, to quote the old hymn, “to God be the glory – great things He has done!” 

Convoluted Path for the Finished Product

Who among us wouldn’t like to experience a nice, easy, pain-free life? Only in our dreams. The reality of everyday living – as it’s been since time immemorial – is that it’s often a struggle. At times adversity seems like our closest friend.  

However, struggles we encounter can be good, especially if we embrace them, strive to learn from them, and grow as we go through them. The late author and poet Maya Angelou observed, “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

 

What a perfect example, the butterfly. It starts as an egg, then hatches into a worm-like larva (which we call a caterpillar) that we see slinking along the ground or a sidewalk, desperately hoping no one steps on it or some kid doesn’t decide to use it as a little play toy. 

Then, when the time is right, it forms a chrysalis, a shield to protect it from extreme temperatures, parasites, and drying out. This serves as its home while the insect undergoes an amazing metamorphosis, body tissue breaking down to reform into wings, legs and other adult parts.

 

But the would-be butterfly’s struggle isn’t over yet. One important step remains. It must work its way out of the chrysalis, a struggle releasing chemicals that strengthen its wings. If a well-intentioned human tries to “assist” the butterfly in escaping the chrysalis, the butterfly is likely doomed. The Houdini-like struggle is critical for its development into the beautiful insect we observe flitting from place to place.

 

That’s basically how the ugly, fuzzy caterpillar changes into a glorious flying specimen. This mirrors the process God uses to transform His children from helpless, clumsy spiritual “caterpillars” to the “butterflies” He intends for us to become. It’s how we can trust 1 John 3:2 is true when it says, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

 

Can you imagine someone communicating with a caterpillar and showing it a photo of a butterfly, explaining, “This is what you’re going to look like”? If this were possible, the caterpillar likely would respond, “No way!” That’s what I think whenever I read the promise of 1 John 3:2, but it’s right there.

 

Contrary to those who would preach a theology of health, wealth and prosperity, the Bible repeatedly reminds us that struggle and hardship are part of the “job description” for all true followers of Christ. After declaring, “we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God,” the apostle Paul adds, “we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us…” (Romans 5:2-5).

 

Lest we make the mistake of rationalizing, “oh, that was just Paul. He went through some very hard times and was trying to make sense of them,” we find basically the same declaration by the apostle James: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

 

“Mature and complete.” This kind of sounds like that industrious caterpillar constructing the chrysalis in which it would transform into a wondrous winged butterfly, an indispensable step in its transformational process. Similarly, when we face times of suffering, trials and testing, we can grumble and complain, muttering “Lord, why me?” Or we can accept them as being allowed by God to move forward the necessary spiritual process of transforming us into the image of His Son.

 

Sometimes difficulties we face are the result of our own doing, as God admonished the Israelites, “you will suffer for your sins” (Numbers 14:34). Sin, even when we receive forgiveness, still carries consequences. However, that’s not always the cause of our struggles. Just as Jesus Christ endured suffering on our behalf, as His followers we’re called to experience “the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death” (Philippians 3:10).

 

Are you going through a particular struggle right now – financial difficulties, health problems, family strife, challenges at work, adjusting to an unfamiliar stage of life, battling a recurring area of temptation? Remember the butterfly and its convoluted path to become a finished product, the lovely creature God made it to be. 

 

And most of all, remember the Lord Jesus, who not only suffered for us, but also is present with us in our own struggles: “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are being tempted" (Hebrews 2:18).

 

Thankful, Yes – But for Everything?

As we look toward another Thanksgiving Day celebration a few days from now, we can usually think of things for which we can be thankful: A car that runs, if we have one. A roof over our heads, especially if it doesn’t leak. A selection of clothes to wear, hanging in our closets. A job that enables us to pay the bills. Loved ones and close friends that mean so much to us. But what about things we can’t feel thankful for?

This presents a bit of a problem for those of us who follow Jesus Christ, because three consecutive verses in the Bible seem to assert that when it comes to thankfulness and gratitude, there should be no exclusions, no exceptions.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we’re told, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The words “always,” “without ceasing,” and “everything” seem all-encompassing. That’s because they are. But that doesn’t mean they’re easy to implement. Nor does it mean they should be.

I think of a book I helped my friend, Mike Landry, to get published, called Advancing Through Adversity. In it he recounted a series of trials he and his family endured over an 18-month period some years ago. The hardships they faced were difficult – and unwarranted. They suffered through many sleepless nights. Answers to their “why” questions weren’t forthcoming. 

Ultimately, the problems were resolved and they could look back at the circumstances and realize how God’s presence had never left them alone in their circumstances, even when they seemed most dire. Through this time, when they had no choice but to turn to Him and trust that He would work things out according to His perfect purposes, they found Him unflinchingly faithful.

If we had the option, we probably have something (or things) we’d like to eliminate from our lives: Serious financial pressures. Severe health problems that have lingered and appear without remedy. A difficult marriage. Struggles a family member is going through that are beyond our capacity for bringing any relief. Grieving over the loss of a loved one. The day-to-day realities of aging. The list could go on. Does the Bible really mean we’re to be thankful for these?

I’ve mentioned him before, but my friend, Albert, is no stranger to adversities. He lived through the horrors of World War II. From childhood he has wrestled with health problems. And he’s survived major business setbacks. And yet, he’s been steadfast in trusting God and remaining grateful for the life He has given him. Albert even wrote a booklet about his life called “Saying ‘Thank You’ Even When You Don’t Feel Thankful.”

The overriding lesson he has learned – and has helped many who know him to grasp as well – is that regardless of the challenges we face in life, we can still embrace hope. We can define hope as earnest, confident assurance that God will use even our worst circumstances to carry out His plans. In the process, He will refine us, transforming us into the people He desires for us to become.

That’s why, in Romans 5:3-5, the apostle Paul could write, “…we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

The apostle James seemed to second the motion when he wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

Although they do not use the words thankful or grateful in these passages, they’re clearly implied when the writers admonish us to “rejoice” or “consider it pure joy” when we have to deal with various trials God allows in our lives. So, when Thanksgiving Day arrives and we pause to give thanks, let’s be sure to express our thankfulness to the Lord – even for the things for which we don’t feel thankful.

A Moving Picture, Not a Snapshot

This photo from atop the city hall makes Rothenburg ob der Tauber,
Germany look like a fairytale village.

Besides writing, one of my favorite pastimes is photography. It started in college. After taking one course in photojournalism my senior year, I was awarded a graduate teaching assistantship – in photojournalism. I would complement what the professor taught about taking photos: things like composing a photo, cropping through the view finder, focusing, depth of field, panning (following a moving object), etc. I even showed students how to load film in their cameras. (Yes, it was way back then, in the pre-digital days.) Then I’d instruct on how to develop their film, then print their own black-and-white photos. Voila!

At first I wondered why, being relatively new to photography, I was assigned to assist with the photojournalism curriculum. In retrospect, I realized a great way to learn a craft is by teaching it. This became a great asset, since the community newspapers I would work on required the editor to also serve as the photographer. I did this, too, as a magazine editor. My journalistic credo became, “Have camera, will travel.” 

I've often wondered what these workers
in Budapest, Hungary were looking at.

Over the past 50-plus years, the tally of photos I’ve taken can only be described as “countless.” For instance, on my first trip to Europe – in the pre-digital camera days – I departed with 20 rolls of film; two weeks later I returned with more than 50. And I “shutter” to think of the cameras I’ve worn out.

Yet, I’ve rarely done video photography. It’s almost always been still photos, aiming to capture the perfect image, whether of a family member, an event, or beautiful scenery. I’ve just regarded it as a preference, even though taking videos has become much easier with digital cameras. But a speaker’s comment caused me to ponder “why not video?” more deeply.

Crawford Loritts observed, “Life is a moving picture, not a snapshot.” This struck me as profound, considering the thousands of snapshots I’ve taken over my lifetime. So, what’s the difference?

With a snapshot – whether it’s a scenic spot we come across while traveling, an image from a birthday party or sporting event, a posed shot of loved ones, or even a selfie – we can be very selective. We can reshoot if necessary to get the very best picture we can. With digital technology, if we don’t like a photo, we can discard it, or delete it from a memory card.

Skills and expertise required for video imagery are very different from still photography, and videos capture the complete range of expressions, not just the pretty smiles. There’s lots of unnecessary “footage,” stuff to edit out for maximum impact. A video might catch us at our best – but also at our worst.

Life’s like that, isn’t it? Along with the exhilarating, mountaintop experiences we revel in and eagerly share with others, there’s lots of mundane stuff we endure. There’s the pain and struggle no one wants to have represented in an album or photobook. We want people to see only the best of our best. On social media we want to display our highlights – but not our low-lights.

However, we all know that real life isn’t non-stop euphoria. That’s why James 1:3-4 admonishes us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Life’s going to serve up tough times, like it or not. We can either deal with them in positive ways, seeking to learn and grow from them – or can resist them, seeking to conceal them like dirty laundry.

Speaking of which, snapshots usually our happy-happy, got-it-all-together sides. But the moving pictures of our lives include flaws, warts, all the bad stuff we don’t want anyone to see. But we can take heart in knowing that no one’s immune to flaws and warts. As Romans 3:10 asserts, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” Later in the same chapter we’re reminded of the reality, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

In a travelogue, the images we see represent the beauty of a city or region. We don’t see the impoverished areas, the crumbling buildings. It’s all snapshots – or strategically edited videos. When I traveled to Monterrey, Mexico, the hillside barrios weren’t in the travel brochures. Nor were the favelas of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Only the pretty scenery. But in reality, they were there.

Everyday life comes at us raw, unedited. A candid mix of the bad with the good. That’s why, ultimately, we need a Savior. We can’t clean up our own act. We need someone to do it for us. The good news is, Someone has. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 declares,“God made him (Jesus Christ) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” In Christ, our moving pictures can be just as impressive as our snapshots.

Reaping Positives from Life’s Negatives

Sometimes we learn more from life's gutter balls than from its strikes.

I hate to exercise. But I love to have exercised (past tense.) Even though I’ve maintained a steady exercise routine for a couple of decades, more often than not, I conduct a brief debate with myself over whether to work out that day. Why exert today when you can put it off until tomorrow?

Yet, most times I relent and go anyway. The first few minutes are like trying to push a wet noodle up hill, but after I’ve warmed up it becomes a bit easier. Before I know it, the 45 minutes or hour I’ve designated for working out have passed. Then I’m very pleased I went to exercise – because it’s over.

I know a consistent workout is good for me, and even with the passing of years, I’m much healthier today than I would have been if I’d chosen not to go through the pain and strain. So in retrospect, I guess I don’t really “hate” exercising as much as I claim.

This principle applies to everyday life as well. Who among us would eagerly line up for financial struggles, family discord, work challenges, or health issues? We want our lives to be a smooth ride, kind of like sliding rapidly down a bobsled run – except without the precarious twists and turns. But in reality, it’s the difficulties that shape us, building character, perseverance, confidence and faith.

I don’t know who originated these thoughts, but they ring true: Pain leads to patience; hurt leads to humility; and suffering leads to strength. 

We find this affirmed in the Scriptures. Romans 5:3-6 tells us, “…we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

To assure us that’s not a misprint or mistranslation, James 1:2-4 declares, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Walking or running on a treadmill, riding an exercise bike and lifting weights produce a good physical workout that tones and strengthens muscles, builds stamina and enhances our overall physical well-being. Circumstances in life can do much the same, challenging our resolve, helping us to build determination and, if we’re willing, strengthening our trust and faith in the Lord. For whatever reason, success and good times – those moments when we can revel in carefree living – can’t do that for us.

So, like exercising, I have hated going through money struggles, career uncertainties, family conflicts, some serious health challenges, even times when I’ve questioned my faith. But I’m thankful to have gone through each of them. They taught me a lot about myself – and even more about the Lord and the absolute confidence I can have in Him.

At the same time, I know the adversities haven’t ended. Just when we complete one stage of life and think, “Phew! Glad that’s over with!” along comes another one with its own menu of difficulties. But I’m okay with that, because as the anonymous writer said, pain leads to patience. Hurt leads to humility. Suffering leads to strength. And who among us couldn’t use a little more patience, or humility, or strength?

Are We Reciprocating the Love?

When life seems spiraling downward, does our love for God remain constant?

Not long ago I wrote about the oft-quoted biblical declaration, “God is love,” what we think it means, and what it really means. There’s another side to this truth we should consider: Are we reciprocating that love?

A friend, David, now in his early 50s, has dealt with a congenital disease that has presented major health challenges throughout his life. As a husband, father and businessman, he could express bitterness and frustration over the adversity that has become a constant, if unwelcomed, companion. Instead, he and his family have used it as an opportunity to strengthen their faith and become powerful witnesses for Jesus Christ to others. Here’s is what he wrote recently:

“I hear so many Christian songs speaking the truths of ‘how much God loves us.’ We sing, ‘Jesus loves me, this I know....’ This is a truth to which we all cling. However, I ask the simple question: ‘Do WE love Him?’ Is our love for Him dependent on things going great (in our lives)? Learning to love Him, when the world is against us, or things aren't going our way, is the kind of love He wants from us. His love for us is never in question. The question is, do we love Him? Do we love Him during all of life's challenges? I suggest that this kind of love glorifies God and demonstrates His power more than the conditional love we often have for God.” 

Despite decades of suffering and setbacks, David has gained wisdom and perspective that many of us never attain. We reason that if God really loves us, He’ll make our lives good and comfortable and prosperous. The so-called “health and wealth gospel” helps to propagate such beliefs. However, that’s not what the Scriptures reveal for us.

Throughout the Bible we find accounts of the all-powerful God allowing His people to endure hardships in various forms. From Abraham and Sarah going childless until late in life, to Moses and the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, to the apostle Paul being subjected to torture, infirmities, even shipwreck while seeking to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, we see God never promised His followers “rose garden” lives.

To the contrary, we read passages that seem to assure just the opposite. For instance: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4). 

Romans 5:3-5 affirms this, stating, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who he has given us.”

The Scriptures make it clear God’s love for His children is limitless and unconditional. So, the question, as my friend suggests, is do we love Him? When things don’t go our way, when we find ourselves in “the valley of the shadow of death,” as Psalm 23 describes it, is our love for God constant – our trust in Him unwavering?

How can we even know if we truly love the Lord, that we’re not just experiencing some brief emotional state during a worship service or when listening to a song of praise? Jesus was straight forward in explaining what loving God should look like:

“If you love me, you will obey what I command…. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him” (John 15:15-21).

The next time we find ourselves reflecting on the scriptural teaching that “God is love,” maybe we should also ask ourselves the penetrating, even convicting question, “Yes, but do I love God?” And if we say that we do, is there any evidence to prove it – even in the midst of challenging, difficult times?