Seven Keys to Advancing in Adversity

     In life you will face much adversity.  Everyone does.  No one is immune to trouble.  The Old Testament character, Job, said, “Mans days are short and full of trouble.”  Jesus said, “In this world you shall have difficult times.”  It is a fact you can’t escape it.  You can run but you can’t hide.  Sooner or later trouble will catch up with you.

     I speak from experience when I write about adversity.  Over the past year I have experienced the most adversity I’ve ever had in my health.  About six months ago I had a mild heart-attack, followed by a stroke two months later.  I spent almost a month in the hospital and had to learn to walk again.  Fortunately the stroke didn’t occur in the part of my brain where my ability to think, speak, remember, or reason are contained.  It affected by balance and equilibrium. 

     Not only was my health affected but as a result of the lingering effects of the stroke, I have not been able to either work or travel speaking as I was doing before the stroke.  This of course has affected our finances, however despite these setbacks and adversity I refuse to quit or give up.  I have decided that I have a lot left to do and I am going to do it however I have to.  I still have the ability to speak, write, and encourage others to not allow adversity to stop them in their tracks and cause them to give up on the purpose for which they were created.

     Through these trying times I have learned that it is possible to advance in adversity.  It may not be easy or fast, but it is possible.  I also know that God is with me during this adversity and He has promised in His word to restore my health and heal all my wounds.  I choose to believe what He says and know the best is yet to come.  Rober Schuller said, “Tough times never last, but tough people do.”  My toughness is not of my own making.  It is the result of spending time meditating on the word of God and spending time in His presence.  My strength (toughness) comes from Him.  The writer of old said, “Let the weak say I am strong.”  As Paul wrote, “We are strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

     Look at the lives of all highly successful people and you will soon see they too have had to face and overcome great adversity.  There is no such thing as an easy road to success.  Success usually comes as the result of facing and overcoming difficult times.

     How you deal with adversity in life determines whether it will make or break you.  You can either allow adversity to make you either bitter or make you better.  It can motivate you to advance or retreat.  The choice is yours.

Seven ways to advance in adversity:

1. Believe in your bounce-back-ability.  Never underestimate your ability to bounce back.  Make your setbacks the beginning of your comeback. God created you to be resilient.
2. Believe what God’s word says.  “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord will deliver him out of them all.” This and many other scriptures point to your ability to advance in adversity.
3. Put your faith in God. Develop an unshakable confidence in God.  Believe that God is with you and that He will empower you to get through this. 
4. Develop a plan for bouncing back.  Rather than having a pity party and feeling sorry for yourself, as soon as adversity arises, develop a plan to turn it around.  Commit yourself to an aggressive strategy for winning over the adversity.
5. Turn lemons into lemonade.  Find the hidden opportunity in the adversity.  For example: Losing a job can give you the opportunity to pursue the idea for a business that you've had for a long time.  You can also learn from the adversity.  Not only can you learn what caused it and how to overcome it, but also you can teach others going through similar things how they can advance in the adversity.
6. Develop a support system.  Network with family and friends.  Allow them to assist you in conquering the adversity.  Follow the good” advice they give you.  Don’t hibernate—reach out to others for their help.  After the stroke I had to learn to walk again.  It wasn’t something that I had to do alone.  I had a great support system of family and physical therapists that gave of their time and effort to help me get back on my feet again.
7. Don’t quit.  It is easy to give up when adversity arises.  Make up your mind that you will not quit until you win.  The rewards for those who do not quit far exceed the pain that must precede the victory.   When I was growing up, my mother always told me, “Quitters never win and winners never quit.” You are not a failure when you fall down.  You are a failure when you give up.