Adversity, What Is It Good ForWritten by Kim Bloomer
As I sat down to write this article, I was reflecting back over last week – a week filled with adversity. We all go through it and it is during those times that we may often wonder what is it all for anyway? What is point? What is it good for?I decided to look up word, adversity, from my old American Heritage Dictionary. The word is defined as “1. A state of hardship or affliction; misfortune. 2. A calamitous event.” It was all of above for my husband and me. We had what most home owners hope to avoid – a major plumbing problem. Oh thought sends shivers up my spine! Nothing like this ever happens when it’s convenient or when you have stockpiled loads of money – as if! While you’re going through it all, you wonder “Why me? Why now? Why EVER???” Then you get problem fixed, breathe a sigh of relief, and wait for next calamitous event to hit! Sounds rather pessimistic doesn’t it? No, not really, because that is life. Over last year we’ve survived two computer crashes, resulting in purchase of a new computer system (after first crash and before second), our dog having an allergic reaction to medicine he was put on to get well (which is why I went completely to all natural care), both cars needing major repairs, and our A/C needing to be replaced. Then last week this plumbing problem happened – not to mention our vacuum cleaner broke and my husband got in a fender bender all in same week! That does not include myriad of other “little” things that happen during normal course of life. I could’ve sat down and had a great big pity party OR better I could discover what I’ve learned from all this and put it to use. You know old saying when you get handed lemons you can squish up your face in bitterness or you can get better and make lemonade? Well, I decided to learn what God’s plan was for me in all this and take high road to lemonade. Now I know you’ll be thinking that I’m going to hand you this wonderful explanation and revelation so we can all go merrily down road of life happily ever after. Not so - but it is inspirational I hope! My husband and I did lots of knee bends last week - you know ones where you bend them to floor and look up fervently in expectation hoping that God will just take situation miraculously away and you’ll go on your merry way? Don’t laugh; you know you’ve done it too! Well, that didn’t happen but what we did discover is that God is always in control. He allows adversity in our lives to grow our faith or to get your attention on Him. If we never go through any valleys how will we know when we’ve reached a mountain top? How will we know if mountain is even any good if all our lives we stay up on mountain and never experience any valleys? I know we’d all like to avoid those “valleys” at all costs, but most growth for anything happens during adversity. You can take a look at nature to see that is true. A butterfly doesn’t just change into a butterfly from larvae (caterpillar state) until it has traversed difficulty of climbing tree, building a cocoon, staying there for a while, and then, with difficulty, breaking out of that cocoon to emerge a beautiful butterfly. It might sound like no big deal to us, but look at it from standpoint of a caterpillar and you’ll change your tune.
| | Play a BIGGER role in life!Written by Hifzur Rehman
Did you ever think that you are not playing role which you should play in your life?Don’t you think that you are born to play a leading role, a much bigger role in real drama of your life? What is holding you back then? Your own short sightedness! In order to play a bigger role in life you need to visualize a bigger picture of yourself. Once you have that picture before you, it will be much easier for you to paint that picture into reality. Every morning, I look in mirror and say “I have to play a bigger role in life”. These simple words make my day, a wonderful day, every day, because my firm determination that I have to play a bigger role in life, keeps my mind in supreme working condition, fully prepared for playing a bigger, bigger, and much bigger role in life. No surprise, my every day is getting better than yesterdays. Every night, before going to bed, I visualize that tomorrow is going to be better than today. And it happens! Yes, it happens!!
|