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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Adversity - Bring It On!


Albert Einstein once said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”  We are living in what I think may well be the toughest times in world history.  We have growing environmental issues to face, we have wars bent on world domination, and we have cultural and faith deterioration and a dependence on materialism and technology that is truly alarming.

And yet, we have the opportunity to make the decisions to resolve each and every one of those problems.  Solutions abound, some better than others, but implementation often lacks.  We have the opportunity to end hunger and stabilized populations without resorting to war and disease to do the work for us.  We have the opportunity to live in a world of tolerance and love and one that models God’s love for us.  Yes, it may be difficult.  Jesus changed the world as a human in the most difficult way possible.  He put his life on the line and gave it up.  The world has not been the same ever since.

Albert Schweitzer observed that "one who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity."   If we practice overcoming obstacles in our lives and in the world as a whole, we can grow in our strength.  It does not matter what the obstacle is!  Do you have an obstacle to living a life that you want or to providing help that someone else may live the life they seek.  We gain strength when we take the steps forward.  It’s just like the weight lifter learns:  “Lift until you feel you can’t lift again…your muscle cells will grow as a result and tomorrow you will be stronger and you can lift even more.”  Adversity is hard, but it builds strength if you recognize the opportunity and don’t give up.


1 comment:

  1. Ah adversity or storms of life.....because we live in a fallen world trouble of some kind is woven into the fabric of life. As somone once said we're always in one of three places: heading into a storm, in a storm, or emerging from a storm. Most generally until these storms hit, we live with "delusions of adequacy," we think we have it under control until suddenly we don't. Storms cut us down to size and cause us to fear.
    Although God doesn't create the storms in our life, He does what Jesus did that night on the Sea of Galilee. He uses the churning seas to demonstrate His power and strengthen our faith in Him.
    C.S. Lewis explains it like this: God, who has made us, knows what we are and that our happiness lies in Him. Yet we will not seek it in Him as long as He leaves us any other resort where it can even plausibly be looked for. While what we call "our own life" remains agreeable, we will not surrender it to Him. What then can God do in our best interest but make "our own life" less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible source of false happiness?
    (Quoted from 'What Are You Afraid Of' by David Jeremiah)

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