You Have Only One Problem

You have a very big problem. Not a hundred, not dozens, not ten, but one—and it’s a big one. Most of us put out fires on a daily basis, whether they be dirty diapers, bills to pay, car trouble, fractured familial relationships, or the dramas of your social circle. Our self-centeredness pulls us into these struggles and blinds our perspective to the greater truth that all of these stem from one core problem.

Perhaps the greatest misconception you carry in your mind and heart is that your suffering is bad or wrong or that it is in some other way a serious “problem.” This little book will challenge that idea. It will help you see that, more often than not, your suffering is not your “problem” but a perfectly designed gift from God to bring you instant happiness.

So, what is your real “one problem”? 

“Your one and only one problem is this: that you have not completely surrendered yourself and every part of your life to Divine Providence.”

In You Have Only One Problem, Conor Gallagher, father of fifteen and CEO of TAN Books, takes you through an introspection that will change the way you approach the inevitable difficulties of life. This short book is easy to get through, but it is hard to read, for it pierces the soul with a straight edge on every page. With spiritual candor and frequent references to saintly examples, this book will make you stop and think about your sufferings in a completely new way. It will enable you to accept your joys and sorrows with the same frame of mind that countless saints have had before.

Trustfully surrendering to Our Lord is the only way to have no problems in this life. You cannot surrender 80 percent of yourself or 90 percent. You have to fully and completely surrender to Divine Providence—100 percent. Only then will you see all your perceived problems as they truly are: sanctifying gifts for your salvation. You will finish this little work with a perspective that can be perfectly summed in this simplest of prayers: Lord, I wish to only wish what you wish.