Life is like a boat in the ocean, full of ups and downs, currents and ripples, favorable winds and foreboding waves. Every fruitful season seems to be followed by a period of trial and adversity and conversely, the hard times seem to hold promise just around the corner.

St. Ignatius, the spiritual founder of the Jesuits, once described life as a series of consolations and desolations: periods of time where one feels the presence of God balanced with periods of feeling distant from Him and His purposes. Never has this been more clear to me than when I started working on With Love. I have come to realize that we can choose to experience God on a daily basis, whether we are in a time of consolation or desolation. He is always there.

Experiencing God is different for everyone. Some praise God for the good in their lives and rebuke Satan for the bad. Others pat themselves on the back in good times but question God’s intentions in the midst of bad times. Some haven’t yet even learned how to involve God when assessing these situations in life. I don’t claim to have mastered the “right” perspective by any means, but I have learned that in the hands of God, both good and bad times become opportunities for us to grow in Christlikeness, and for this I am thankful.

I have experienced many wonderful blessings and encouragements throughout the process of opening this business. Every day, I have learned new things that have expanded my knowledge and perspective. At the same time, I have also experienced desolation moments where my faith in God’s provision for the project has been shaken.  I’m not saying that my faith is at jeopardy, but rather that trusting in God naturally becomes difficult in the face of challenges and opposition. This is a truth that extends to any person going about their daily life, not just to the With Love Project. In these moments, I’m grateful for the abundance of stories in Scripture showing how God is present in both the good and the bad.  I’m confident that at the end, my team and I will be able to say that we are better off for having faced and overcome these challenges. This project has been an excellent source of humility, learning, and wisdom.

One important piece of wisdom I have gained is how to view obstacles in the proper light. Whenever you create something that is new and transformative, the obstacles set before you always seem big and insurmountable. Without a clearly blazed trail we often find ourselves searching for the right path while climbing through weeds and dense brush. In those times it’s important to trust that the obstacle is temporary; the path is there, and God can use the obstacle to strengthen your resolve. With the proper application of faith and grit, you can overcome it and move forward onto the right path. This is often an ongoing process.

The great poet and philosopher Rock Balboa once said, “It ain’t about how hard ya hit, but how hard ya can get hit and keep moving forward.” Right now we are still in the early rounds. We have already taken a few hard blows. But it’s going to take much more to knock us out as we’ve come to battle. Ding ding, let’s do this!