Adversity, What Is It Good For

Written by Kim Bloomer


As I sat down to write this article, I was reflecting back overrepparttar 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 isrepparttar 123062 point? What is it good for?

I decided to look uprepparttar 123063 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 ofrepparttar 123064 above for my husband and me. We had what most home owners hope to avoid – a major plumbing problem. Ohrepparttar 123065 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 getrepparttar 123066 problem fixed, breathe a sigh of relief, and wait forrepparttar 123067 next calamitous event to hit! Sounds rather pessimistic doesn’t it?

No, not really, because that is life. Overrepparttar 123068 last year we’ve survived two computer crashes, resulting inrepparttar 123069 purchase of a new computer system (afterrepparttar 123070 first crash and beforerepparttar 123071 second), our dog having an allergic reaction torepparttar 123072 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 inrepparttar 123073 same week! That does not includerepparttar 123074 myriad of other “little” things that happen duringrepparttar 123075 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 knowrepparttar 123076 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 takerepparttar 123077 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 downrepparttar 123078 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 knowrepparttar 123079 ones where you bend them torepparttar 123080 floor and look up fervently in expectation hoping that God will just takerepparttar 123081 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 ifrepparttar 123082 mountain is even any good if all our lives we stay up onrepparttar 123083 mountain and never experience any valleys? I know we’d all like to avoid those “valleys” at all costs, butrepparttar 123084 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 fromrepparttar 123085 larvae (caterpillar state) until it has traversedrepparttar 123086 difficulty of climbingrepparttar 123087 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 fromrepparttar 123088 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 playingrepparttar 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 inrepparttar 123061 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 inrepparttar 123062 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!!

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use