By Ryan Kelly –

Have you ever wondered why our journey toward growth in righteousness is rarely smooth or easy? If following Christ means walking in His peace, shouldn’t the road be free of obstacles? Yet, time and again, we find that the opposite is true. The Christian life is filled with challenges, setbacks, and trials that test our faith and force us to lean on the Lord more deeply.

I recently came across a quote from Henry Ford that struck me: “Remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” That simple observation carries a profound truth. Just as airplanes need resistance to rise, we too need opposition and difficulty to grow in our faith. Without the wind pressing against us, we would never gain the lift that brings us closer to God.

This idea reminds me of fitness analogies. When you go to the gym, if you never push your muscles beyond their comfort zone, you won’t build strength. Growth only comes through resistance, strain, and perseverance. The same is true of our spiritual lives. If our journey with Christ were always smooth and effortless, we would never develop endurance, never cultivate true hope, and never learn to depend on God’s strength rather than our own.

Scripture affirms this truth over and over. Paul exhorts Timothy: “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). Notice the word pursue. It implies effort, determination, and pressing forward even when the way is hard. Peter echoes this when he writes: “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:7). Our trials refine us like fire purifies gold, stripping away impurities and revealing the priceless treasure of a faith that truly trusts in Jesus.

And Jesus Himself gives us both warning and comfort in John 16:33: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” He doesn’t promise a trial-free life, but He does promise His peace and His victory. Our struggles are real, but they are never final, because Christ has already won.

So when the winds of hardship press against you, remember: they are not there to destroy you but to lift you higher. Just as the airplane rises against the wind, your faith can soar when you lean fully on God in seasons of resistance. The hard road is the refining road. It is the place where perseverance takes root, hope blossoms, and reliance on the Lord deepens.

Take heart today, friend. The winds may be strong, but they are carrying you closer to the heart of God.