rejoice in adversity

i never realized till now the adversities i have endured until this point sometimes paralyze me in moving forward in any aspect of my life, and in some of the most important ones. light is shed. thank you.

As I put away my ritual life by skipping da MUST minuetes w/ father, I often feel myself in a really fragile situation. Couldnt hef enuf mighty to work on da hardships in battle of life. My Own strength w/in me really dont go hand in hand w/ what I face in most daily activity. Hence, I was trying to get back da glory of hollyspirit, so I could able to standstill in amidst of trouble, yet PRaISE HIM over the adversity. A vivid element that only LAY in HIS heart.
I’ve DOne my BESt.. and LET GOD do the Rest. Above all, Thank God! He grants me power many times tat I might not realize. Only by HIS grace… I could REjoice
JC I love you!!

::sigh:: For now, I’ll settle for enduring, and worry about rejoicing in a little bit.

Wisdom is by far the greatest part of joy,
and reverence towards the gods must be safeguarded.
The mighty words of the proud are paid in full
with mighty blows of fate, and at long last
those blows will teach us wisdom.

-Sophocles, Antigone (the Fagles translation, I believe)

I had no idea when I put this goal on 43Things.com how much adversity would be coming to America in the weeks that followed. Nevertheless, we can certainly find strength in adversity.

Here is an article I found on Survival Strategies for Getting Through Times of Adversity (turn off popups)
“Adversity is God’s way of saying you are worthy of my teachings.”
http://healing.about.com/od/selfpower/a/stragy_adversty.htm

Here’s another great article on Overcoming Adversity
“Recognize misfortune for what it is: an opportunity to lift yourself to a higher level.”
http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/adversity.htm

See also Thinking Logically And Strategically In Adversity
“In adversity, happiness does not come out of forcing yourself to do something or forcing yourself to think a certain way. Happiness comes out of your ability to treasure what you have and be thankful.”
http://www.findthepower.com/wisdomminute/WisdomMinuteThinkingLogicallyAndStrategicallyInAdversity.htm

And here’s a sermon on Adversity: Blessings in Disguise
“A problem is a concentrated opportunity.”
http://www.sermons.org/adversity1.html

I once wrote and delivered a talk for church called, “Twelve Reasons to Rejoice in Adversity”. I never realized until praying about and studying to put together that talk how important it is to rejoice in adversity. Here are just a few thoughts on the topic.

First, some quotations.

“There is no education like adversity.” – Disraeli

“Adversity brings knowledge, and knowledge wisdom.” – Welsh proverb

“Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater.” – William Hazlitt

“Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course.” – William Shakespeare

A tree grows strong because the wind beats it this way and that. As life does the same with us, we can be thankful that we have adversity to strengthen us and shape us into what we have the potential to become. Without adversity, we would not learn, grow, and rise to meet our full potential.

When we suffer adversity, we are in good company. It’s easy to ask, “Why me?” when bad stuff happens; but the next thought should be, “Why not me?” Think of the greatest man or woman you can imagine. He or she surely suffered adversity. The greater our struggles, the greater group of people we have joined.

God has confidence in us when we experience adversity. It has been said that our Heavenly Father will not allow us to be tempted beyond that which we can endure. Wow! He has the confidence that I can endure the adversity that befalls me; so I KNOW I can, through prayer.

Adversity helps us find our true selves. Our struggles help us to find out who we truly are by how we face our troubles, and how we get through them. Even if we do so with less grace than we would prefer, this is a lesson to help us to develop more grace. It is a good feeling to look back on one’s successful navigation through a difficult storm of life, realizing the growth and enlightenment that has taken place.

Here are some more resources.

The Power of Adversity (Part 1)
http://www.1percentclub.com/article.php?article_id=11

Philippians is the Epistle of Joy
http://biblia.com/jesusbible/philippians.htm

Advantages of Adversity
http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/advantagesof.htm

“Great men rejoice in adversity just as brave soldiers triumph in war.” [Latin ‘Gaudent magni viri rebus adversis non aliter, quam fortes milites bellis.”] – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

See also Romans 5: 3-5