Value in Hardship
This
thought arrested my thinking just now – there is value in hardship. It made me pause, reflect and ponder my own
life. I’ve had hardships, and I can see
an overarching value in everything I’ve endured.
These
‘hard’ events have happened in my life
~In
1980 I awakened to 1/3 of my back yard having washed away down the ravine
behind my house.
~2
divorces
~Bankruptcy
~My
dream job was within my grasp and was taken away eight months later.
~Marriage
to someone who relapsed on a drug addiction
~Heart
bypass surgery
So,
the big question … where’s the value in all of these life experiences?
They
don’t have much of a connecting link that I can see. Just some random life events that I’ve had to
endure.
But
what I do see is this … I’ve made it through all of these experiences thus
far. I
am a survivor.
I
thought the world ended when my back yard disappeared. I could not see the next step for a few
days. Somehow, I managed to figure out a
fix and moved on. We fixed the yard with
a government loan, and paid it off when I sold the house.
Divorces
and the bankruptcy were no fun, but I made it through those as well. I survived.
The
drug experience addiction with my second wife was a very difficult time. I didn’t think I would ever see the end of
that one. But it too ended.
That
was extremely hard.
Heart
bypass was hard too, but harder, I think, on Carolyn than me. All I had to do was endure a bit of pain and
lay round and let my body recover. CB
had to play nurse-maid, cook and bottle washer and major care-giver for a good
while.
So,
what have I learned?
I
said it up front. I am a survivor. I have survived these hardships.
How
did I managed to survive this stuff and where did this strength to survive come
from?
Of
course, first I give credit to God for His mysterious strength and intestinal
fortitude that He gave me in those moments.
Second,
we humans have an incredible capacity for survival, if we can tune into
it. I don’t know how we do these
incredible feats of recovery and conquering.
All I know is this … by God’s amazing design, we can find the strength
to march through hard times. We don’t
ask for this stuff to happen. We don’t
order it from Amazon. It sometimes just
happens.
And
we manage to cope and survive.
To
all you survivors out there, whether it be adventures like I’ve experienced, or
your own stories of hard times and hard places, you have come through these
times, because you are reading my words.
And if you are still in the throes of a difficult place, take hope that
others like you have come through tough times too and you can make it.
If
you need help, seek it. Ask.
If
you have a faith community you trust, let them be your partners for whatever
services and support they can offer.
If
you pray, then seek the God who hears and answers.
And
trust your own ability to overcome. You
may not see it today, but I believe it lies within.
If
you write to me, I will pray for you.
This is
my
morning
reflection.
P Michael Biggs
Words of Hope
Encouragement
Inspiration
