A man was trying to make his way through a dense forest; he was having difficulty finding his way. It seemed to him as though he would never be able to get through. Then he discovered a trail and at once he took fresh courage. "Other men have passed this way before", he said, "and what men have done, men can do again."
"Whatever may be the difficulty you face, the same difficulty has been faced by others. However hard your lot, it is not exceptional; others have been placed in the same sort of situation. None of us ever has any sort of trial, struggle or hardship that is not common to man", this from columnist John R. Gunn.
Some of the Corinthians to whom the apostle Paul wrote, thought that their temptations were extraordinary and that therefore, they would be excused if they yielded. 'No', Paul writes, 'your temptations are not unusual. They are such as are common to mankind everywhere. Others have experienced the same temptations and did not yield to them - there is no excuse for you to yield. What others have overcome, you can overcome.'
The same reasoning holds all along the line. It may be a hard path that you and I have to travel. Sometimes it may seem that we can never make it, but the same path has been trod by other feet. If others have gone this way, so can we. All our battles are such as have been fought and won before and we can win where others have won - this thought can strengthen us, but even more, a strong faith in Jesus Christ and in His ability to help us can give us courage to overcome our troubles.