C.S. Lewis said this about hardship: Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.
As humans when we are going through hardship it is easy to view Lewis’ quote and think, “I didn’t sign up to have an extraordinary destiny, I’ll be just fine with ‘ordinary’ if my life could be without hardship.”
But life is life and life often throws us curve balls and experiences we have no control over. Sometimes, like in my experience with addiction, we create hardships due to our own poor decisions or like my bike crash–shit simply happens.
Hardships make or break us.
If you are experiencing a tough time, I suggest you read a great book written by Eric Greitens-Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life. It contains many pearls of wisdom about facing life’s setbacks with resilience and perseverance.
Early in his book, Greitens defines resilience: “Resilience is the virtue that enables people to move through hardship and become better. No one escapes pain, fear and, suffering. Yet from pain can come wisdom, from fear can come courage, from suffering can come strength–if we have the virtue of resilience.”
As a Jesus follower, I know no one took on pain, fear, and suffering, and turned a hardship for mankind into an extraordinary destiny for all as He did.
His example and His never-ending presence should serve as our foundation in obtaining the wisdom, courage, and strength Greitens writes about in order that we may better live life on life’s terms regardless of the crap it sometimes throws our way.
1 Peter 5:10, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
P.E.A.C.E.
Jay@EagleLaunch.com
