Facing Obstacles: The Battle Within

Comfort seeks to escape—Growth seeks to engage

Obstacles are often seen as challenges that stand in front of us—a difficult task at work, a strained relationship, a financial setback. We treat them as external barriers that we must push through or climb over, believing that once the challenge is behind us, life will become easier. But what if the real obstacle is not the one in front of us, but the shifting foundation beneath our feet? What if the resistance we feel is not rooted in our circumstances but in the subtle, hidden fractures within us?

Life presents two types of problems: circumstantial and deep-rooted. A circumstantial problem is the reality of life—an unexpected job loss, a health scare, or a difficult conversation. These are the hardships that come and go, the storms we weather or season of the soul we are in. But deep-rooted problems are different. They are not just about what happens to us; they reflect behaviors within us—behaviors formed by years of accumulated subtle wounds, learned responses, and survival strategies that have compounded over time. These deep wounds are not always obvious, but they shape how we engage with the world.

Imagine standing on seemingly solid ground, only to feel it tremble beneath you. From the surface, everything looks fine, but the instability is rooted deep within the foundation. This is how unaddressed responses work. We may think the struggle is the obstacle itself, but often it is our conditioned response to it—the way we have learned to protect ourselves, to avoid discomfort, or to seek control—that creates the true resistance.

A strained relationship at work, for example, may seem like a circumstantial problem. But beneath it could be a deep-rooted tendency to avoid conflict, formed by years of feeling unheard or dismissed. A lack of confidence in leadership might appear as a surface-level challenge, but it could stem from years of internalizing the belief that your voice does not matter. The problem is not always the situation—it is the way we have learned to engage with it.

Obstacles Test the Foundation

Scripture speaks to the importance of addressing not just the external struggles but the internal condition of our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 (ESV) reminds us, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." Obstacles often reveal the state of our hearts—the behaviors of fear, doubt, and self-protection we have built over time. Just as God calls us to trust Him with our hearts, He also calls us to let Him heal the deep wounds beneath the surface.

Jesus often addressed not just the external actions of people but the internal motivations behind them. In Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV), He teaches about the importance of building on a solid foundation: "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock."

Obstacles test the foundation beneath us. If our foundation is unstable—built on survival strategies, avoidance, or self-reliance—it will eventually give way under pressure. But when our foundation is rooted in Christ, we have the strength and stability to face life’s challenges without crumbling.

Growing Inward to Grow Outward

Growth does not happen by fixing the circumstance alone; it happens when we address the deeper fractures within ourselves. This is why facing obstacles is not about pushing harder or moving faster—it is about growing inward. When we grow inward, we grow outward. Transformation begins when we stop focusing solely on the problem in front of us and start addressing the behaviors within us.

To grow inward means becoming aware of how you have adapted to life’s hardships. It means recognizing the survival strategies you have used to survive—whether through avoidance, perfectionism, control, or withdrawal—and understanding how those strategies may now be working against you. Healing happens when you begin to question those behaviors and choose a different response.

Romans 12:2 (ESV) encourages this kind of inward transformation: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." True growth comes not from adjusting external circumstances but from renewing the way we think and engage with the world.

When you grow inward, you change the way you show up in the world. A more stable foundation means greater resilience when facing external challenges. Your influence deepens because you are no longer reacting to life from a place of instability—you are engaging with it from a place of strength. This is how transformation multiplies. The internal growth you experience expands outward, creating a ripple effect in your relationships, leadership, and the broader environment around you.

Obstacles are not just barriers to overcome; they are invitations to grow. Life’s challenges are unavoidable, but the real work is not in conquering the external—it is in healing the deep wounds that shape how we face them. When we address the deeper behaviors within us, we change not only how we engage with life’s difficulties but also how we influence and inspire others. Growth starts within—and from that place, it multiplies.

What are the subtle wounds within you that might be shaping the way you face obstacles?