Enemies as reminders

If it were not for the adversaries who make us conscious of our impotence, how would we learn to trust God's omnipotence? Lord of the armies of heaven, I praise You for your power to conquer. Teach me to trust your power, not mine.
~ Elisabeth Elliot, A Lamp Unto My Feet



What are the enemies in your life that remind you of your impotence, your inability to succeed? My enemies have changed over the years: today they're the piles of unfolded laundry; the child who pees on floors and furniture despite my best efforts; the unexpectedness of cancer; my own laziness and procrastination. Yet without brokenness, without failure, what would I have to write about? The richness of life lies in the whole spectrum of experience, not just in the joyful, successful chapters.