OPPORTUNITIES IN ADVERSITY…!

The way to the throne room is through the servant’s quarters, as J. Manson always put it. But, the door to opportunity swings on the hinges of opposition. Caleb Colton said, “Times of general calamity and confusion have ever been productive of the greatest minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace, and the brightest thunderbolt is the one elicited from the darkest storm”.

Problems are the price of progress. The obstacles of life are intended to make us better, not bitter. Obstacles are merely a call to strengthen your resolve to achieve worthwhile goals. Bob Harrison says, “Between you and anything significant will be giants in your path”. Oral Roberts reflected, “You cannot bring about renewal or change without confrontation”. The truth is, if you like things easy, you will have difficulties. If you like problems, you will succeed.

If you have a dream without aggravations, you don’t really have a dream. You need to understand that; circumstances are the rulers of the weak; but they are the instruments of the wise. The Chinese have a proverb that says, “the germ cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials”. It seems that great trials are the necessary preparation for greatness. For every obstacle you face, God provides a scripture for your answer. Murdock said, “If God cushioned your every blow, you would never learn to grow”. Instead, don’t let your problems take the lead. You take the lead. The problem you face is simply an opportunity for you to do your best. Conflict is good when you know to move with God.

What attitude do we need to have towards difficulties? Boetcker said, “The difficulties and struggles of today are but the best price we must pay for the accomplishment and victory of tomorrow”. Lou H. advised that, “Adversity is another way to measure the greatness of individuals. I never had a crisis that didn’t make me stronger”.

When you encounter obstacles, you will discover things about yourself that you never really knew. Challenges make you stretch, they make you go beyond the norm. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”. Turning an obstacle to your advantage is the first necessary step towards victory.

God promises a safe landing, but not a calm voyage. Life is as uncertain as a grapefruits squirt. When I hear somebody say that “Life is Hard”, I am always tempted to ask, “Compared to what”. We have to face our problems, we can’t run fast or far enough to get away from them all. Rather, we should have the attitude of “never say die”.
Keeping this in mind that, “The breakfast of champions is not cereals; it is obstacles”.

By Barine