Ever feel like life is just too hard?  Sometimes it feels like the deck is stacked against you and no matter how you try, you can’t win.

You’ve tried in the past and it cost you.  You were embarrassed and you failed and you don’t want to go there again.

We’ve got a daughter who often feels that way.  Life has dealt her a tough hand.  Her chromosomal disorder and speech issues make even small tasks feel frustrating, sometimes.  Leah is 18 now and while school this past year has been good, it’s still difficult to find her own way in a world that moves fast.  She loves her family and our home in the country, but is shy around new people and situations.  Change is hard for her.

Nevertheless, we believe that Leah has something to give back to those who are less fortunate than her.  She has no less to give than any of us.  So this summer is her fifth time spending a month or more as a missionary (the last three without either Karen or me along).  She went down to Mexico to join the AIM work crew at our base there.  They keep the base clean and help the missionaries who are there on short-term trips.

The problem is that the last time down there wasn't easy for Leah. When the session was over, she was more than ready to come home. Parts of the summer felt like failure to her.

You'd think after our past struggles that we'd just give up, but here in the Barnes family we believe in “getting back on the horse.” So we wiped away the tears, reassured her about what a wonderful servant and missionary she is, and sent her back.

Not wanting to meddle, we waited and were excited when the initial reports were positive. Leah had a good start to her summer. Her team loved her and she was contributing. Then a couple of weeks ago, disaster struck. She got sick and was miserable for three days. After that she hit bottom and all she could think about was coming home.

We had a fateful phone call with her leaders. Do we admit failure and call it quits or keep on going? The issue was made more complicated by our impending trip to Africa. Fortunately, she was blessed with a wonderful team that cheered her on and encouraged her. “C’mon Leah, you can do this! We need you here!” And we all prayed.

And so, she turned the corner. It was amazing to us. We went to the brink of disaster and then Leah pulled herself up by her bootstraps and showed every person out there who feels challenged or handicapped that it’s possible to do more than they would have thought possible.

The lesson Leah has preached with her life this summer is that if there’s pain in your life, chances are that God wants you to stop being a victim and face into it. It doesn’t matter what your challenges are in life, you can serve and make a difference.