When Adversity Knocks At Your Door...

Very soon after being diagnosed with diabetes, 7-year-old Sonia Sotomayor decided she would not depend on the adults in her life — a distant, overworked mother, a doomed, alcoholic father — for the daily shots of insulin that would keep her alive.

So along with the morning routine of getting breakfast and brushing her teeth, she’d pull a chair up to the stove and boil water to sterilize a syringe and needle, measure carefully, and inject herself before leaving her South Bronx apartment for school.

In her book, My Beloved World, she reveals that her disease nearly took her life more than once and that part of the reason she never had children was a fear she would not be around to raise them.

In the book, Sotomayor describes a scary series of incidents when she blacked out due to blood sugar imbalances, and once she was discovered by friends unconscious in an Italian hotel room. But monitoring her health has become second nature — she might give herself injections five or six times a day — and she said she no longer worries she will die young.

“When I reached 50, I was able to let go of that demon,” Sotomayor said in the interview. “But not without recognizing its benefits. It drove me in a way that perhaps nothing else might have to accomplish as much as I could as early as possible.”  -The Washington Post, January 13, 2013, Robert Barnes 

Overcoming adversity is part of the human predicament. Thus, to confront adversity and/or trials of any description is a spiritual exercise that will separate the weak from the strong.

Some Christians feel they are automatically immunized from adversity of any kind. Some have said "all these trials and hardships show that God is missing." Since the beginning of time the heroes of faith have always had to deal with adversity. This includes men like Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Peter, Paul and others. Beloved, are we any better than the aforementioned saints? Certainly not! We must not be immersed in self-pity or feel sorry for ourselves when confronted with life's hardships.

Those of us who have been thrust into the lion's den of adversity must come to grip with it and face it head-on. The apostle Paul declared, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). Overcoming the trials and tribulations of life means we place our ultimate trust in God. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). This means we will depend on God via prayer (James 5:16).

Daily praying and trusting in our eternal God will help immeasurably when coupled with a rich study of God's word (Psalm 119:105; Hebrews 4:12). We must not underestimate the power resource that is available to us. Other than the aforementioned tools we must never forget the strength that is derived through family, friends and brethren. We must utilize these if we would overcome calamities in our lives.

Overcoming adversity comes with some positive blessings. Persevering and enduring hardship will certainly bring patience. As the scriptures tell us, "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (James 1:3). Job, who faced adversity that we can only imagine, was a faithful patriarch that would not get sidetracked when hardships appeared at his door.

As it is written, "you have heard of the patience of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord..." (James 5:11). We must emulate Job and refuse to let adversity swallow us like the great fish swallowed Jonah. Overcoming adversity will give us a closer relationship with God that will ultimately lead us to our heavenly home (John 14:1-3).

Let's face it, we all face hardships and tribulations of various descriptions. Therefore, giving up and abandoning God is no option. Overcoming adversity with good is the best policy.

In closing today, God wants you to know that He has the final say in every situation in your life, and He is not about to let you stay defeated, certainly not when His Son has already paid the price to bring you an abundant life!

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:8-9; Proverbs 24:10; Philippians 4:12-13; 2 Corinthians 12:9; 1 Peter 5:10; Romans 8:28; Joshua 1:9; Revelation 21:4; Isaiah 45:7

Prayer: Father, You grow and stretch our maturity through circumstances that don’t always reflect our choosing. It helps us to gain needed perspective and experience in situations not of our own choosing, but to our overall benefit. Help us to be patient as we search Your Scripture and seek to understand Your plan as it unfolds in our lives. Align our desires with Your own as we submit our will to Yours. May we not be overcome by adversity but ask You, Father, to use adversity as a tool by which You carve Your image and character deep into our hearts.We may make our plans but we realize that, as Your children, You will have the final say. Amen.

-special thanks to Bob Spurlin

Have a blessed day!

Athene