“We cannot always control everything that happens to us in this life, but we can control how we respond. Many struggles come as problems and pressures that sometimes cause pain. Others come as temptations, trials, and tribulations.”

Life has a way of handing us things we didn’t ask for: a diagnosis, a job loss, a strained relationship, an unexpected setback. Kendrick’s reminder is that while we may not get to choose every circumstance, we do have a say in what happens next inside us. Our response, whether we become bitter or patient, reactive or thoughtful, defeated or determined, is where our real power lives. Some struggles press on us from the outside, like stress and responsibility. Others test us inwardly, like temptation, fear, or doubt. Either way, the challenge is not to pretend it doesn’t hurt, but to meet it with as much courage, grace, and wisdom as we can.