Once you are born with a handicap, even if the handicap is resolved - as it was in my case - you are left with the benefit of having had it. By contrast, my mother - who had nothing bad happen to her - was a very disabled person. She was an appalling human being who squandered every blessing that God had given her.

I'm a big believer in having to go through hard times to get to where you want to be. Nothing comes easy. You have to work.

Obviously, I've been heartbroken. We all know what that feels like.

When I lost to Michael Watson, I cried. I thought the world was on my shoulders and I broke down. But I came back because I wanted my titles.

This is how you foil the works of evil, growing in grace through the very adversity that was meant to harm you. Joseph was a prime example of this divine reversal, declaring to his brothers: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 CORINTHIANS 1 2 : 9 (NKJV)

GIVE UP THE ILLUSION that you deserve a problem-free life.

While I may not take away every hurt, I will always give you what you need to live joyfully—in spite of the hurts. Just ask.

Rejoice in your insufficiency, knowing that My Power is made perfect in weakness.

She knows how to suffer and at the same time how to laugh.

For the first time since her return, she felt pain, a violent pain, but it made her feel alive, because it was worth feeling.

How we handle our tough times stays with us for a long time.