5 Proactive Steps to Facing Challenges
Life is full of challenges, and it can be difficult to know how what to do when facing challenges. But with the right attitude and approach, you can overcome any obstacle life throws at you.
By taking a proactive stance in tackling your challenges head-on and leaning on the strength of God, you will gain confidence in yourself and build resilience for future difficulties.
What Are the Challenges Faced in Life?
The challenges faced in life can vary and be very personalized. Some people face struggles in their family or marital relationships while others see difficulties in parenting or friendships.
Beyond interactions, people may struggle with addictions of all sorts or have low self-esteem.
Some people's challenges fall into categories such as depression and anxiety.
The list of challenges are numerous. What one person sees as normal could easily be another person's obstacle in life.
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Why Do We Face Challenges in Life?
Every person on earth faces challenges. It can be difficulty performing a task, how they respond to things, or what they encounter from others.
The only way we could escape challenges in life would be to have full knowledge of what was going to happen and control over how we are built. Clearly God has that job.
So what do we do? We have to focus more on the what to do than they why.
Facing Challenges in Life Bible Verse
The Bible offers innumerable help in the area of facing challenges. One way to receive encouragement is by reading through the many biblical accounts that show a person overcoming an obstacle.
If you consider people like King David who faced a Goliath or Peter and John who faced the priest and Sadducees when teaching about Jesus, you'll see that they overcame with supernatural help.
We have that same help.
Philippians 4:13 NLT states "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."
Romans 8:37 NIV states"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
Joshua 1:9 NIV states "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
From these few verses we can see that God already knew we would face challenges in life whether it was from fear, accusers, or needing courage to endure the challenge.
He also prepared the solution.
Proactive Steps to Overcome Challenges in Life
God is the first step in being proactive. We should make a habit of talking to Him about everything.
With that in mind, there are two things to consider before proceeding to face a challenge.
One, is this really anything you can do something about? There will be things that take place in our lives that we can do nothing about. In these spaces we have to pray and release it to God.
Trusting that God's got it can be challenging but remember that He has placed the faith inside of you to be able to believe He can handle it.
If you find after prayer that you can do something, try these steps:
1. Acknowledge the challenge and accept it.
It's tempting to reject or ignore the challenge, but neither will make it go away. Face it head on by simply acknowledging that it is a difficulty. You will be positioning yourself to be guided by God as to how to respond.
2. Break down the challenge into manageable steps.
If the object can be broken down, small steps will make it seem less challenging. An example could be a financial issue you're facing in which you choose to ignore it.
If instead you contacted the company or person you owed and set up an agreement to get back on track, you'd likely see it as more manageable.
Take time to develop a plan of action that works best for you.
3. Find support from friends, family, or professionals.
Your circle of support can take the weight off and offer encouragement that will be fuel to get you started and to continue through to victory.
4. Develop a plan of action to tackle each step of the challenge.
Mapping it out can release your mind from stress and give you a sense of calm by knowing what your next steps are.
5. Celebrate successes along the way and don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed.
Some obstacles will take time to overcome. Learn to celebrate what you've accomplished along the way. Give yourself credit for your hard work!
Humility may be a key component in overcoming your challenge. Don't allow pride to prevent you from asking for help. It is also important not to be discouraged if you aren't given help when asking.
Challenges can help us grow and develop as individuals by teaching us valuable lessons about ourselves and how to face adversity.
By facing our challenges head-on, we learn resilience, self-control, problem solving skills, critical thinking abilities, and more.
We also gain a greater understanding of who we are and what our capabilities are.
Challenges provide us with opportunities to test our strength and courage while giving us the chance to prove that no matter what comes our way, we have the power within ourselves to face it with grace and confidence.
How do you handle challenges?
