One moment,
Please.
Reflections on Life and Faith ADVERSITY – IS IT GOOD OR BAD?
William Shakespeare in Hamlet writes,
There is nothing either good or bad,
But thinking makes it so.
According to Ryan Holiday in The Obstacle is the Way,
The best way to view the events of our lives is to view them as neutral.
Our human tendency is to label events as either bad or good.
We judge them good or bad by what they do to us and how they make us feel.
As the Stoic philosopher Seneca said,
We suffer more in imagination than in reality.
Most of the things we stew and fret over never happen,
Never become a reality.
What if,
Instead,
We were to adopt the attitude that the events of our lives are neutral and not objectively good or bad?
Then we can spare ourselves much of the mental pain we experience.
It's our judgments about these events that cause us the pain.
The blind and deaf Helen Keller said,
A happy life consists not in the absence but in the mastery of hardships.
If instead of judging the events of our lives as being good or bad,
And instead we believe that what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 8,
28 is true,
And that all things work together for the good if we love God and are calling according to His purposes,
Then we will be slower to judge the everyday events of our lives.
It is our finite,
Limited understanding of these events that and the judgments we make that cause much of our suffering.
Yes,
You heard it correctly.
We are the cause of much of the misery and suffering we face because of our judgments about the events of our lives.
Since we can only see a little of the road in front of us,
And not the totality of the journey,
We judge the journey by the little we can see.
If,
However,
We had a drone that could fly above us and see what is around the bends,
The twists and turns,
We might not be so quick to make our judgments.
An example from American history of someone who did not allow the circumstances of his life to limit him is President Theodore Roosevelt.
If anyone was dealt a bad hand,
It was him.
He was born sickly and physically vulnerable.
The extreme nearsightedness and asthma were two of the many disorders he suffered from.
His asthma was such that many nights he had severe asthma attacks that nearly killed him.
Teddy's salvation,
However,
Was a good and patient father who encouraged him to exercise and get strong rather than give him reason to surrender to his physical problems.
For years he did so,
Remaking his body and,
In turn,
His life.
As history now tells us,
He went on to change the world as President of the United States.
Roosevelt also endured personal tragedies,
Including the loss of his mother and his wife on the same day in 1884.
These emotional challenges impacted his mental well-being and resilience.
But despite these afflictions,
Theodore Roosevelt remained a dynamic and impactful figure in American history.
He is known for his energetic leadership,
Progressive reforms,
And adventurous spirit.
Roosevelt approached life with vigor and determination,
Overcoming physical limitations to leave a legacy as a transformative president and a champion of conservation and social reform.
Would Theodore Roosevelt have become the man he was to become had it not been for the sickness and physical hardships and the tragedies he encountered of losing both his wife and mother on the same day?
We obviously will never know.
However,
As we now see from his story,
He redeemed life's difficulties for his betterment in that of the United States.
So,
Were the circumstances of his birth good or bad?
As the Stoic philosophers would say,
They were neither.
It's how we respond to those circumstances that make them good or bad.
Our response to the circumstances is what makes all the difference.
We can fall prey to our bad luck and bemoan our fate,
Or we can redeem it through the choices we make.
Life presents many difficulties and challenges.
We can take one of two positions.
We can become victims of our circumstances or grow from them and become victors.
Which do you choose?
Questions for Reflection.
Are you living as a victim of your circumstances or as a victor?
Which are you choosing?
How do you typically view challenges and hardships in your life?
As obstacles to overcome or as opportunities for growth and learning?
For one moment,
Please.
This is Randall Spence.
