TOIL & TROUBLE

We all have a story to tell. Everyone we meet is fighting a battle we know nothing about or has experienced something that has forever changed them. Sometimes our story comes with an unexpected plot twist, where every turn is the wrong one, and nothing is going our way. We’re in over our head and the harder we fight, the more ground we lose. We’re slowly sinking; and struggling just seems like it expedites our eventual defeat. Your story has reached a climax and you’ve just standing in quicksand!

By quicksand, I mean adversity. And believe me, there’s no better form of education than adversity! Adversity has the unique ability to test a person’s character, and character is rarely developed during times of peace. Our character is developed during our challenging times when events are unexpected and we’re under pressure. How well you handle adversity will determine how the next chapters of your story play out. If you want to shine like a diamond, you’ve got to be willing to take the pressure it requires to create one!

Adversity levels the playing field. No one is immune from it. And sooner or later, it will find a way to break you. Strength is what we do with those broken pieces. We don’t become stronger from handling the problems we know we can, we become stronger from overcoming the problems that once we thought we couldn’t. Trust in God and He will give you the strength to take your broken pieces and turn them into masterpieces! And soon the solid ground you stand on today, will be what was once yesterday’s quicksand!