To live is to experience hardship.
And we have all faced our share. Some larger, some smaller. Some have stripped us back to our studs, while others have only resulted in cosmetic damage. All though have impacted us. And their presence is one of the few constants of the human experience.
Yet, amidst this turmoil and uncertainty, the Apostle Paul encourages us not only to hold onto hope, but to rejoice. And not in some nonsensical rah-rah way, but for simple practical purposes.
“There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.”
As Paul points out, adversity is the ultimate impetus for change and growth. It forces us to turn off auto-pilot and be fully present in the moment. To audit our current lives and reassess our future plans. Adversity leaves us with a new perspective, uncluttered by the trivial, that enables us to pivot our lives like we never would have dared prior.
Life is akin to a distorted sine wave alternating between highs and lows at disproportionate amplitudes. And while we cannot control the timing or nature of the adversity we face, our response proves to be the deterministic element in whether we rise or spiral in the aftermath. So take heed of the new perspective gained lest the cost you bore in adversity be wasted.