Insurmountable Opportunities

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Life presents us with insurmountable opportunities. That seems like an oxymoronic statement, but it’s true. It seems contradictory, when in fact, it’s a paradoxical reality.  Why? Because when God is with us, challenges and obstacles that would otherwise be insurmountable, can become gateways to unexpected blessings. Please read more.

A famous quote, attributed to the comic strip POGO states, “We are confronted by insurmountable opportunities.” Although there is debate about the precise origin of this quote, it does seem to capture the paradox of life.

Walt Kelly was the creative mind behind the beloved comic strip “Pogo.” In the whimsical world of “Pogo,” possums, alligators, and other characters roam the Okefenokee Swamp. Perhaps the quote is so frequently attributed to POGO simply because life in the swamp would present insurmountable opportunities. As we journey through the swamps of our own life, we may discover that some things that appear insurmountable, are truly opportunities yet explored.

The word “insurmountable” conjures up images of towering cliffs, impassable chasms, and obstacles that defy human strength. It hints of defeat. When we think of something insurmountable, we think of dashed dreams and blocked paths. The path of a Christian, strewn with challenges, can also seem insurmountable. But when those challenges are embraced, they can become transformative. In the mundane struggles of life, we can discover the Divine.

Can you imagine the feeling of despair the Israelites experienced when they came up against the insurmountable obstacle of the Red Sea? While fleeing Egypt, they became hemmed in between water and the encroaching Egyptian army. Likely, all seemed lost. Nothing, however, is impossible for God. He parted the sea, and what seemed insurmountable led to deliverance.

Try to put yourself in the sandals of the disciples. Jesus called them, and they dropped their nets and left their jobs and their families. Soon their ordinary lives collided with the extraordinary purpose of God. The enormity of the task before them could have stopped them in their tracks. Fear of persecution and death could have paralyzed them. Instead, transformed by grace, what seemed insurmountable changed the world.

Let’s face it, our entire Christian faith hinges on an insurmountable event—the Cross. Who could have known or believed that a cross, an instrument of torture and death, would become the gateway to eternal life? Our redemption is wrapped up in the mystical paradox that death leads to life.

Now, turning our attention to our own lives, we realize, that we all have personal crosses to bear. Life dishes up pain, loss, and brokenness. Eventually we all encounter suffering. These trials often seem insurmountable. Yet, in the depth of our woundedness, God’s grace still flows. 1 Corinthians 10:13 gives us these reassuring words, “God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.”

When the collective scars of humanity are woven together by the Divine Weaver, they don’t become a mere piece of cloth, they become an amazing tapestry. In ways we often fail to understand, our woundedness and scars can work together for the good of God’s kingdom (Romans 8:28). It is upon the canvas of our brokenness that God often paints inspiring and priceless works of art.

Sometimes we are faced with the insurmountable opportunities to forgive someone who hurt us, or to love someone sacrificially when it’s not easy to do so. At other times we are called to step into uncharted territory that requires our total trust in God’s Divine plan. Still again, we all have areas of sinfulness that seem impossible to overcome. In these moments, we must surrender our inadequacy, knowing that God’s strength is perfected in our weakness. As it states in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

What obstacles, challenges, and sufferings, are you facing right now? Do these things seem insurmountable? No matter how bleak things appear, no matter how alone you might feel, and no matter how broken certain aspects of your life may be, Jesus is always right there at your side. Jesus gives us this assurance in Matthew 28:20, “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

If we rely on our own strength and ability, those things in life that seem insurmountable, may very well be insurmountable. But when we find our strength in Jesus, he empowers us.  Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.”

As Christians, we are called to navigate the tension between what seems impossible and what God makes possible. Our journey is not one of circumventing challenges and suffering, but of embracing them as steppingstones toward a greater and Divine purpose.

In conclusion, we must always keep our eyes fixed on the Author of paradoxes, for in Him, insurmountable becomes possible. During times of trial and difficulty, faith grows and deepens. When we are facing something that seems insurmountable, we can rely on this unfailing paradoxical truth; faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain. Finally, Jesus reminds us in Matthew 19:26, that many things are impossible for humans, but nothing is impossible for God!

Heavenly Father, when I find myself hemmed in by insurmountable obstacles in life, and fear and despair creep in, like they must have for the Israelites sandwiched between the Red Sea and the encroaching Egyptian army, strengthen my faith and never let me lose hope. All of my strength comes from you Lord, and for you nothing is impossible. Amen!  

 AMDG

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Brian Pusateri

Brian is a Christian author and speaker. Brian, a lifelong Catholic, felt his life was forever changed when God spoke to his heart while attending an eight day silent Christian retreat in November of 2011. Soon after that retreat Brian founded 4th Day Letters and Broken Door Ministries. With the God inspired message of mercy and unconditional love that was placed on his heart during that retreat, Brian has been impacting others all over the country and around the world with his weekly letters, his talks, and his all day Christian retreats. In June of 2014, Brian’s life was again impacted in a very dramatic way when his eyesight suddenly became permanently impaired. The initial diagnosis was Multiple Scleroses (MS) but in December of 2019 the diagnosis was corrected to MOG antibody disease, a rare neurological disease. This health challenge has only served to draw Brian closer to God and bolster the importance of this timely yet ageless message.

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