Next Time Adversity Knocks…Welcome it.
Biologists recognize a principle at work among plants and animals. This natural wonder is called “the adversity principle.” As strange as it seems, habitual well-being is not advantageous to a species. An existence without challenge takes its toll on virtually every living thing. This may explain the astonishing results of a recent survey where 87 percent of the people surveyed said “a painful event (death, illness, breakup, divorce, etc.) caused them to find a more positive meaning in life.” Jesus said, “‘In the world you will have adversity, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world’” (John 16:33). Ironically, adversity can be therapeutic.
Categories: Inspirations
Very true.
Moments of adversity can serve as a catalyst for great change. I was going through a terrible time in my life. I was surrounded by bad influences. Living a life of emptiness that I tried to overcome by using drugs and alcohol. I grew up in the church, and I didn’t think that God was real because I couldn’t see past the hypocrisy (my own, or that of organized religion).
Then something happened. The timeline seems skewed. But the events went something like. Close friend is dumped by girlfriend. Stops taking anti-depressants & anti-psychotics that doctors prescribe him. Goes on road trip to Atlantic City. Buys gun along the way. Comes back and everyone is relieved he isn’t dead or in jail. Goes over to my house to hang out. He asks me, “do i still have a chance with this girl?” because I am still good friends with the girl also. I tell him, “no. as a matter of fact she’s with someone else.”
He goes over to her apartment, holds them both hostage with the gun he purchased. ties them up with an extension cord lying around. he takes the girl to the bedroom. rapes her. while this is happening the male escapes to get to a neighbors house to call the police. they get there. the swat team arrives. they get him to surrender. he goes to jail. he hangs himself there a few months after.
it’s hard to put a context to these things when these people are your friends. i never got to speak to him again after he left my house that fateful night. i knew something bad was going to happen. i knew he bought a gun. i go to work after he kills himself feeling dead inside. i just wanted it to stop. everything to stop. the guilt of being friends with a rapist. the grief of a dead friend. the horror of the events that transpired. i wanted to kill myself too. then i experienced a miracle. a random act of kindness from a stranger. a smile. nothing more. it meant the world to me that day. it just made me feel like everything was going to be ok. and life will get better and the hurt will go away. all of this from something dumb like a smile. and it did. over time the hurt went away, and i started to feel like a human being for the first time in my life. the stranger invited me to their church. City Bible Church on 217 in Tigard. This was almost 2 years ago. You gave a sermon on compassion, and I felt filled with the holy spirit for the first time in my life. I grew up in the church, and I thought when people talked about the holy spirit they were making it up. I grew up going to church every week thinking that all the people around me are crazy. I grew up wanting to believe in all the things that the preacher was saying, but in my heart it always felt like BS. It wasn’t until I heard your sermon that I understood how many miracles God had bestowed upon me, and how I misused my life. Without the adversity of my friend’s death I never would have had an open heart to accept Jesus.
I wanted to thank you for that. It’s been about 4 years since my friend passed away. The person I am today is so different than the person I was 4 years ago. I have the opportunity in my job to help people get where they need to go within the company that I work for. I have the opportunity to be a positive example instead of a negative one.
God bless you, and I hope you continue to do what you do, because people like you are needed in this world full of broken and hurt people.