Pray for stronger shoulder

The story is told of two princes who were to be crowned. The criterion for their coronation is that they should carry certain loads from a particular place to a certain destination.
On their way to the place where they were to lift the loads, one of the princes saw an old man carrying a load. He ran to him and helped him carry the load to the man’s destination.
When it was time to carry their loads, he succeeded in carrying his own while his other brother could not carry his. When asked how he was able to carry his own load, he replied: “By helping someone to carry his load, I found strength to carry mine.”
There lies the secret of victorious living. The prince was able to carry his own load because of the strength he summoned up while helping someone to bear his load.
Now, it is in everybody’s nature to try to steer clear of problems of all kinds. While we may succeed in doing so to some extent, it is not always possible to steer clear of problems. This is because problems are part of life. The only place where there are no problems is the cemetery. There, everything is calm.
What it takes to make the world calm, like the cemetery, is to remove all the problems, troubles, and difficulties therein.
Problems, difficulties, and stress are essential for our growth. They cannot destroy us unless we allow ourselves to be destroyed by them.
As we make effort to tackle problems, we begin to develop the mental and physical strength needed to overcome the problems eventually. “Every trouble,” says George Hodges, “is an opportunity to win the grace of strength.”
You don’t become strong by steering clear of trouble. You don’t become strong in the absence of trouble. It is in the midst of problem or trouble that power is developed.
Do you need power for victorious living? That power can be developed by learning to confront any problem that confronts you. Learn to use any problem that confronts you as a stepping stone to greatness.
Like the prince who got his strength in the course of assisting someone else in bearing that person’s load, you can develop power for victorious living by learning to confront any problem that come your way.
The problems and troubles we face everyday are opportunities to develop and strengthen us. If the trouble we face everyday are taken away from us, we would be deprived of the opportunity to develop our potentials. The consequence of this is that we grow weak, timid and die ingloriously.
The starting point for victorious living is to stop praying for a trouble-free, stress-free or problem-free life.
Now, consider this: if problems are meant to make you strong; if power is developed in the midst of problems; and if problems offer you the opportunity for greatness, why not pray for stronger shoulders?