We face mistakes on a daily basis. Whether they’re big or small, they’re inevitable. We also have to face the mistakes of others and the effect that those mistakes may have on our lives. Why, then, are people who work hard to live virtuous lives still faced with difficulties? It is because sometimes we must be cut down if we want to continue to grow. Life cannot be simple and easy because we are working for something that is priceless, and something with so much worth cannot come cheap. It requires endurance through a sea of trials and challenges. The wonderful thing about these hard times is that, as John Bytheway stated, “from [them] we can grow and progress if we choose to.” And that is key. We must choose to. We can allow ourselves to be brought low and stay there, or we can look at it as simply a new point of view and then continue to move forward. Nothing in life is going to be easy, but that does not mean it will not be worth it and that we cannot have joy. You must look at every mistake as an opportunity to learn and every trial as being one step closer to your goal. Just remember the words said by Thomas Paine, “the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” I promise as you keep facing each mistake with your head up and the knowledge that you can only grow because of it, you will reach a most glorious triumph that will cause you to forget the pain it took to get there.

Yours truly,

Publius