Take heart! – The well-known book, The Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck, opens with a familiar statement: "Life is difficult." Jesus says in John 16:33 (AMP): "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world." When life throws challenges our way, it's natural to ask, "Why does God allow this? Why do bad things happen to good people? Has God forgotten me?" Yet, understanding and dealing with the reality that "life is sometimes difficult" prepares us to face adversity with faith, trusting that God can bring good even from our suffering. (Romans 8:28 & 2 Corinthians 1:3–4)