Shadows!

Allow God to weave the pattern of your life. Let Him choose the colours of your days. He is a Master Artist and knows exactly how to arrange the right mix. You see, days of pleasantness and blue skies will not make you an overcomer. Shades of ease and sweet roses will not shape your character in the way he needs it to be. For you to count in the Kingdom of God you have to pay a price. And that price is displayed in the kind of crown you wear.
Your God wants you to reign with Him as a King on this earth. He wants you to have authority and power, and to wield it on His behalf. So you have to earn the right to make decrees and administer in His kingdom. He has to be able to trust that you won't leave the ship at the last minute in case it sinks! When you up against it, and all around you seems chaos, He needs you to be there as His ambassader and trust you won't crumble too.
So you have to pass through the fire, and through the waters, and through the valleys, so that you become seasoned and mature, and trustworthy. God does not give His tasks to people with no backbone! If you really want to know His glory then you have to suffer with Him over His world, and be willing to 'muck in' by taking on His burdens of prayer and His assignments.
Sometimes the shadows are long, and the colours of your days dark. But shadows are needed to give depth to the landscape. Everything would be flat without the darker things in this life throwing the highlights into view. So if your days that He has chosen for you seem tinged with sadness and pain, know that He is allowing it all for a purpose. Your life will count. You are paying a price. That is if you have asked Him to use you and made yourself available for His purposes.

 'And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt' Mark 14:36.