Recently, after coffee with a friend, we were discussing literature or, more so, the production of it. You see, this friend is a phenomenal author, enjoying the process of putting thoughts on a page to convey something meaningful to the masses. While I enjoy the written word as a sweet elixir, I am not so fond of the production side. In genuine curiosity, my friend inquired as to why. My answer simply is that I resented my inability to do it well with general ease. You see, I struggle with spelling and syntax, grammar is a nightmare, and maintaining a single tense in a passage is next to impossible, all due to some dyslexic impediments. As seen in my own circumstance, we as humans tend to shy away from the difficult because it makes us vulnerable. The fear of exposure to imperfection, the spurn of a peer, public criticism, or becoming the object of ridicule makes people unwilling to do so and go where they might not succeed easily. Yet despite the innate nature of this, God has commissioned us otherwise. While He does often use our gifts and passions, God shows up most profoundly in our incapabilities and struggles. As we strive to serve Him, our desire should not be to grow more comfortable but to be used in our discomfort. In this vein, may all our deeds, big or small, difficult or easy, momentous or lowly, be done not of “I” but of Christ in me, transforming our struggle into a sweet elixir too.