Our world today has many people who say that they are society’s victims. They whine that they just can’t do some things that the more privileged have done. For the Christian, this is nonsense. Paul says in Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.” The problem is not that we do not have the opportunities in life. It is that we do not confront our own inadequacies, face up to them, and seek to conquer life’s difficulties through faith in Christ.

One man who kept trying in the face of repeated failures said that he had tried nearly a thousand times to perfect what we know as the incandescent lightbulb. But by not quitting or blaming his lack of success on others, he finally did so. His name was Thomas Edison. We might not always be successful, but we might be victorious next time by utilizing the power of Christ in our lives.

The poet Edgar A. Guest captured this spirit in his poem entitled, “Equipment.”

Figure it out for yourself, my lad,

So start for the top and say, “I can.”

Look them over, the wise and great

But you’ve all they had when they made their start.

You can triumph and come to skill,

Began his life with no more than you.

You are the handicap you must face,

Lets you decide what you want to be.

Courage must come from the soul within,

Get hold of yourself and say: “I can.”