Triumphing Over Adversity: The Toughness Test

Time is a great teacher. Over my decades of life, I’ve concluded that I wouldn’t mind pain if it didn’t hurt so much. Similarly, I wouldn’t have such a dislike for adversity if it wasn’t so difficult and demanding.

 

Perhaps you can relate. Or you might respond with a simple, “Duh!” No one but a masochist asks for pain or actively seeks out adversity. However, they are inescapable, everyday realities. Facts of life. The only people who don’t confront pain and adversity are those who have already departed from this life. So the question is, how do we cope with them?

 

I’ve never met consultant and life coach Tim Kight, but I’m often impressed with his concise, pithy social media observations about what it takes to succeed in life and work. On the topic at hand, he recently wrote, “When adversity strikes (and it will), what will be tested is your toughness, not your talent. Some people are crushed by adversity, some survive it, but there are those who get better because of it.”

 

In a lot a relative economy of words, he’s said a lot. First of all, it’s not a question of whether we will confront adversity; it’s when. And it’s true that when hard times come, lots of very talented people crumble, lacking the determination or courage to persevere. Others do survive, but it’s only by the proverbial “skin of their teeth.” Some, however, exhibit the toughness, the inner resolve to look adversity straight in the eyes and refuse to blink. And in the process, become better, not bitter.

Adversity is something we seem to have in abundance these days. It may be hard to find certain products at the supermarket, but adversity hasn’t suffered from the supply chain. Businesses and schools have closed, the sports and entertainment worlds were turned on its end, and churches have had to institute unusual measures to stay connected with the faithful. 

 

It's hard to find any facet of life that hasn’t been adversely affected by COVID-19, social unrest, the constant fear-mongering of the media, or political turmoil. Not to mention always unpredictable and sometimes severe weather. 

 

Add to this the personal and unique challenges we’ve all faced. There’s a lot to deal with. So what, as Kight observed, separates those who become crushed, or those who manage to merely survive, from those who somehow thrive when adversity comes to call?

 

There are many possible factors, I suppose. But for those who follow Jesus Christ, it’s more than grit and an inner refusal to yield to external circumstances. For us, there’s no better resource than what we can find in a deep, abiding faith in our loving, sovereign God. 

 

So far, 2020 has been as tumultuous as any year in recent memory. I’ve wondered on numerous occasions, “What in the world is going on?” and, “When will all this end?” Like everyone else, I have no idea – but knowing the God who does is a great source of hope and reassurance.

 

Writing to his protégé, Timothy, about the adversities he had experienced and continued to endure, the apostle Paul said, “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day” (2 Timothy 1:12). 

 

Just as Paul’s long journey with the Lord had forged an unwavering trust in Him, we too can face the perils and uncertainties of contemporary life with hope and assurance.

 

In another of his New Testament letters, the apostle wrote this declaration: 

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).

 

Nothing can separate us from God and His love! The question is, do we really believe that? Our answer will go a long way in shaping our response to adversity, whether it’s what we’re facing at present or what is yet to come. Will we be crushed, will we survive, or will we thrive?

Struggle Today, Strength Tomorrow

From time to time we read about machines that can enable us to lop off pounds simply by standing on them as they shake us all about. Kind of like doing the hokey-pokey, but with even less effort.

Fad diets promise to make us svelte within days, cancelling out months and even years of bad eating habits and poor lifestyle practices. “Take these pills.” “Eat this menu.” “Try this regimen for just five days.” This, we’re promised, will free us of inches and pounds without so much as breaking a sweat.

Sounds great, especially at this time of year when temptations of lavish holiday meals, seasonal treats, Christmas cookies and other high-taste, high-calorie offerings bombard our senses through New Year’s Day. I know this all too well – my body still hasn’t recovered from last year’s onslaught of Thanksgiving Day, a trip to Walt Disney World, and Christmas, and already another year-end round of festivities has arrived. Laying waste to your waistline isn’t a good thing!

Recently a sign caught my eye that fits all of us hoping to survive the holidays without turning into human replicas of the famed Goodyear blimp. It might bolster our determination when we try to return to sane eating within the next few weeks. It said, “Struggle Today, Strength Tomorrow.”

The problem is most of us seem allergic to struggle. We like shortcuts, pain-free living, anything but struggle and strain. We hate the adage, “No pain, no gain.” Instead, we want the gain without the pain. Easy does it – the easier the better. Overindulge? Sure. Overwork? No way.

But in reality, what the sign stated is true. Struggle today often does lead to strength tomorrow. Take, for example, the little caterpillar struggling to fashion a protective cocoon, then at the right time working and straining to get out of it, transforming into a beautiful butterfly through this wondrous, strenuous process.

After open-heart surgery in 2006, I resolved to go through the recommended rehab program, which included healthier eating, taking prescribed medications, and embarking in a regular exercise regimen several times a week. Nine years later I’m still taking my meds faithfully and exercising 5-6 times a week. I’ve slipped a bit on the eating part, but aim to get back on track there, too. The point is, it hasn’t been easy. Every day I go to the rehab center thinking, “I hate to exercise.” But at the end of the session, I honestly love to have exercised. And my overall physical health has benefited. The struggle indeed has resulted in strength.

Apparently this is why we’re often reminded in the Scriptures not to underestimate the value of the struggle. The apostle Paul, no stranger to adversity of many kinds, wrote, “we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:3-5).

In case we missed it the first time, another apostle – James – revisits this idea in his letter. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

Many of us long to possess strong, overcoming faith. These passages tell us that without it being tested by the fires of struggle, our faith will never exhibit the strength we would desire. Because faith, being “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1), becomes confirmed only when struggles give us no alternative other than to exercise it. And sometimes over a long, arduous period of time.

So I think it’s right to say, no pain – no gain. No struggle – no strength. 

‘Dancing’ Despite the Storms

Recently we decided to spruce up our master bathroom, removing old wallpaper, replaced by a fresh coat of paint. Among the new accessories is a picture bearing the motto, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

I can’t think of a better sentiment for coping with everyday life. “Storms” are inevitable, whether they involve health issues, marriage and family challenges, financial difficulties, career conflicts, cars and appliances that break down at inopportune times. The reality is not if we are going to encounter adversity in various forms, but when.

We live in a pain-avoidance society. If you have a twinge, take a Tylenol, an aspirin, or something stronger. Drugs and alcohol are commonly used by people seeking to become oblivious to the storms swirling around them. But all too often, once the Band-aid is removed, or the pain-killer wears off, the problems persist.

No amount of legislation can end them. No amount of money can buy carefree, pain-free living. So if we’re stuck with storms, what can we do? Learn to dance in the rain.

The Bible offers curious advice regarding what it terms “trials” and “tribulations”: “…we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because God has poured out his love into our hearts…” (Romans 5:3-5).

In case we overlook that passage, similar thoughts are found in James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Rejoice? Consider it “pure joy” when we encounter the trials and tribulations of life? That’s hard to do, without question – unless we embrace the promise from the Scriptures that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). If we truly believe that, then yes, we can learn to dance in the rain!