There's so many things that life is, and no matter how many

Hear, O child of struggle and triumph, the words of Mary J. Blige, a voice forged in hardship and song: “There's so many things that life is, and no matter how many breakthroughs, trials will exist and we're going to get through it. Just be strong.” These are not words spun from comfort, but drawn from the furnace of lived experience. They remind us that life is not one thing, nor is it ever smooth, but a weaving of joy and pain, of victories and wounds. And yet, within that tapestry, strength becomes the golden thread that holds all together.

Consider the first truth: life is many things. It is laughter shared at dawn, and grief carried at midnight. It is the birth of a child, and the passing of a parent. It is abundance in one season and hunger in another. To live is to embrace the fullness of these opposites, not to deny them. For no breakthrough, no matter how glorious, will ever erase all trials. As long as the heart beats and the sun rises, there will be challenges. But so too, as long as we live, there will be hope, renewal, and strength to face them.

Behold the story of Nelson Mandela, who endured twenty-seven years in prison, confined, humiliated, cut off from his people. The trial was immense, yet he emerged not broken but unyielding, ready to lead South Africa toward freedom. His life is proof of Blige’s words: trials will exist, yet the human spirit, when it clings to strength, can endure, overcome, and even transform suffering into victory. He did not escape trials; he grew stronger through them.

Mary J. Blige herself speaks from the same soil. Rising from poverty, scarred by abuse, battling addiction, she did not speak these words as theory, but as testimony. Her breakthroughs in music and fame did not shield her from pain, yet each struggle was met with resilience, and each fall answered with the decision to rise again. Her voice, soulful and raw, carries the weight of survival, the wisdom of one who has walked through storms and still sings beneath the open sky.

The meaning is clear: strength is not the absence of struggle but the will to endure it. To be strong does not mean never to weep, never to falter. It means to keep walking through the valley, to rise after the blow, to cling to hope when the night feels endless. For every trial faced with strength becomes a testimony, a story to light the path of those who will walk after you.

The lesson for us is this: expect trials, but do not fear them. Expect breakthroughs, but do not be lulled into thinking they end the struggle. Instead, prepare your spirit to stand firm in both light and darkness. When hardship comes, say to yourself, “This too is part of life, and I will walk through it.” When joy comes, drink deeply, but remember: life is ever turning. Strength is the companion that will serve you in both.

Practical counsel follows. Strengthen your spirit each day: through prayer, through song, through meditation, through the bonds of friendship. When trials come, do not face them alone; lean upon others, as Mandela leaned upon his comrades, as Blige leaned upon her music. Speak words of encouragement, both to yourself and to those who stumble. For strength multiplies when shared, and resilience grows when nourished in community.

Therefore, O traveler of life’s many roads, carry Blige’s wisdom within you: life is many things, trials will always exist, but breakthroughs and strength will see you through. Do not despair when storms rise, nor boast as if sunshine will last forever. Instead, live steady, live strong, live with courage. For in the end, the secret is not in avoiding the trial, but in walking through it, and in walking through, becoming more than you were before.