Adversity = Greatness

I can always spot someone who has been through great adversity a mile away. Almost immediately upon speaking with them, their tender soul oozes with kindness, gentleness, compassion and there is something special about their spirit that carefully exposes their battle scars. There is a special humility about them and an understanding as you begin to share your life with them that they know exactly the hell that you have been through but have been unable to explain to the common man, as he surely would never understand you. The blank stare and subtle lack of warmness becomes a wedge that could never allow a bridge to be built between you, the great warrior who has been through great adversity, and them, who has not felt the bitter pain of deepest pits of anguish, rejection, abuse or loss that you know all too well.

Our natural instinct as humans is to want to avoid great adversity. We want to go around the pain instead of through the pain. We want nothing more than for God to intervene and take it away. Now. For many years, I too was guilty of this...wanting to avoid the painful adversity that always seemed to be around the next corner. I questioned God, pleaded with God, prayed my heart out that God would quickly take me out of what I was facing and even found myself at times disappointed that God seemed so distant and unwilling to help ease my pain when I needed him most.

However, as I have matured in my faith, I have learned to pray through my adversity and ask God for peace, strength, joy and wisdom on what he wanted me to learn though this latest "crisis." I often have to remind myself that God never promised life would be easy, and though life seems so much harder for some people than others, God promised he would be with each one of us no matter what we go through. He also uses these times to give us great wisdom and strength to face the next difficulty down the road. Perhaps the greatest "benefit" to going through great adversity over and over again is that we become much more tender and compassionate to others who are walking through valleys of their own. Some people, myself included, are able to reach many people through encouragement and compassion because we too have been through a wide array of difficulties and can relate to many different trials that others are facing.

When I was in my 20s, I though my world would crumble beyond hope and I would surely shrivel up and die if anything came between me and the love of my life, my husband of 12 years. Never in a thousand years would I have believed I could handle him leaving and me being left to raise two boys completely alone without the aid of family close by. However, God prepared me in various ways before my husband left us that made the transition and the ability to handle each day much easier than had I been through very little adversity up prior to this event.

Going through childhood abuse, for example, taught me that I had the inner strength to get back up (literally and figuratively) and keep fighting. If that did not destroy me, then nothing would,  I found out. There was something inborn that kept me going head strong when I was knocked down and beat up over and over. At times, I even scolded myself for being "too stupid to know when to quit getting back up." This, however, is what has helped me keep going strong through multiple difficulties I have faced as a single parent. I also learned as a child how to figure things out myself and bandage my own wounds, as nobody in my home did so and it was up to me. I learned that I had to "do what I had to do" to survive, and this carried over into my single parenting years.

For those of you who are also great warriors and have been through the fires of adversity far more times than the average person, think back to how you changed a little through each adversity for the better and how you were better prepared for the next trial when it came up. Then think back five years, two years and one year ago and make notes of how you have changed for the better since then. After recalling these things, thank the Lord for bringing you through. He is still the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and he was with you through every one of those fiery furnaces. God's strength never fails and he has an overabundant supply he gladly gives you when you need it most. No matter how much you reach out to him to help you through these times, remember he will gladly supply all you need to keep you from getting burned up in this trial too. Not only that, but he will make you a better, stronger, kinder, more compassionate person, willing and able to help the broken souls around you.

Instead of praying to escape adversity for the sake of easiness and goodness, ask for God to give you what you need to endure adversity for the sake of greatness. You will be glad you did.