Woe to you who think you have earned your wealth by your own efforts, for you have received your comfort in full! Do you consider yourself as superior to others? Do you really think you have anything that was not a gift? And if it was a gift, why do boast pridefully as if YOU are the one responsible for your blessing and prosperity? Be warned, the wealth you hold onto so tightly will rot your heart with discontent and insecurity. Trust in the Lord, the giver of all things, and find freedom in the joy of generosity. For to whom much is given, much will be required.

—Paraphrased from Luke 6:24, Luke 12:48, 1 Corinthians 4:7, and some of my own input

And so in the strife of the battle of life
It’s easy to fight when you’re winning;
It’s easy to slave, and starve and be brave,
When the dawn of success is beginning.
But the man who can meet despair and defeat
With a cheer, there’s the man of God’s choosing;
The man who can fight to Heaven’s own height
Is the man who can fight when he’s losing.

—Robert Service