By giving His Chosen People the name "Struggle with God," (in Genesis 35:10, it is God Himself, not just the "divine being" of this chapter) God was not only giving people permission to struggle with Him; He was actually asking us to. Doing so makes our faith authentic. And it is that authenticity which keeps us from turning into religious automatons.

Nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks. Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.

If you are setting out to be joyful you are not going to end up being joyful. You're going to find yourself turned in on yourself. It's like a flower. You open, you blossom, really because of other people. And I think some suffering, maybe even intense suffering, is a necessary ingredient for life, certainly for developing compassion.

I'm actually very humbled listening to His Holiness,' the Archbishop said, 'because I've frequently mentioned to people the fact of his serenity and his calm and joyfulness. We would probably have said 'in spite of' the adversity, but it seems like he's saying 'because of' the adversity that this has evolved for him.

The Archbishop was pointing his index fingers at his head. "You learn when something happens that tests you." And then he was pretending to be speaking as God might. "'Hello, you said you wanted to be more compassionate.' 'Hello, you wanted to be a little more laid-back.

I found peace through God but not until I had driven myself to the edge.

The word never means the spirit which sits with folded hands and simply bears things. It is victorious endurance … Christian steadfastness, the brave and courageous acceptance of everything life can do to us, and the transmuting of even the worst into another step on the upward way. It is the courageous and triumphant ability to bear things, which enables a man to pass breaking point and not to break, and always to greet the unseen with a cheer.7

Oft hope is born when all is forlorn.

we all have them. The difference is how we handle our challenges. To have less stress in your life - deal with your challenges!" Catherine Pulsifer "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all.

In Kaifi's poetry and in his work as a social activist, every setback only strengthened his resolve to fight back with renewed vigor and strength.

Thanks to my training in Balali village, I am rough and tough.