I'm a reader and I've always enjoyed studying the lives of men and women that have achieved great success in life. It's interesting that almost without exception, all of them have walked through some major adversities and struggles in their lives.
That got me to thinking, is adversity a pre-requisite for success? Well, I guess I could dance around the question and say that it depends on your definition of success. While that is true, I believe the short answer to the question is yes.
So, if you agree with me that adversity is a precursor for success, then that begs the question, 'Why?". To answer that question, let's look at the life of a man named Joseph. He was a sheep farmer that lived many years ago. He came from a large family and had 11 brothers. Talk about sibling rivalry! There was no shortage of jealousy between Joseph and his brothers.
Are you starting to recognize the story? Yes, it's the story of Joseph from the Bible. Let's continue. Joseph had a couple of dreams one night that implied he would be a great leader and have authority over his brothers. He shared this dream with his brothers and their jealousy then turned to hatred.
His brothers then plotted to kill Joseph. (Note to self - be careful who I share my dreams with). Instead, they spared his life and sold him to the slave merchants. The slave merchants then sold him to an official of the king named Potiphar. During this time Potiphar's wife falsely accused Joseph of rape and he was sent to prison (who says the Bible is not exciting!). Are you sensing a bit of adversity in Joseph's life? But it gets worse from here.
While in prison Joseph befriends the cupbearer and interprets a dream for him. His friend promises to help Joseph get out of prison if he is released. The cupbearer is indeed released a few short days later but he forgets his promise to Joseph.
Joseph now spends 2 more years in prison. Around this time the king of Egypt calls for Joseph. He has had a troubling dream and he asks Joseph to interpret his dream. Joseph explains to the king that his dream means that Egypt is about to experience 7 prosperous years followed by 7 years of drought. He encourages him to store up the grain from the prosperous years to survive the lean years.
The king is so impressed with his wisdom that he makes Joseph second in charge and in power (only behind the king himself). Joseph did go on to become a great ruler and leader of Egypt - but not until he passed through great adversity. Buy why was he required to endure such adversity?
I believe there are several reasons - and if you are in the middle of struggle and adversity, take heart as these will apply to you also.
First, God uses adversity to call leaders. Look at any of the great leaders of the Bible (Jesus, Moses, Daniel, David, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Paul just to name a few), and they were all required to face struggle and strife before assuming their positions of leadership.
Second, adversity is the sandpaper that God uses to take off our rough edges. Often times before God can truly use us, He needs to mold us into the vessel He intended for us to be in the first place.
Third, when we are in situations that we feel are hopeless, that is when God does His best work. If we are in a situation that we can "fix" in our own strength, God does not get the glory. God desires to come to your rescue - to make a way where there seems to be no way. But He is a gentlemen and will not force Himself upon you.
Fourth, adversity tests our faith in God. In my experience, adversity tends to either make a person better or bitter. They either turn to God in faith or turn away and reject God. God desires us to have faith and adversity is one way He allows us to exercise that faith.
Fifth, adversity helps you to grow in your likeness of Christ. As we mature spiritually, God desires for us to grow in Christ's likeness. As I watch my own children wrestle with life, I occasionally see my own genetic makeup pop out of them (scary isn't it). The same is true in the spiritual realm. With God as our Heavenly Father, we should resemble Him more and more each day.
Sixth, adversity trains you to help another. Often times deep tragedies turn into triumphs as we are later able to use the lessons learned to help another through a similar situation. DW, one of my closest friends, recently helped me through some challenges he experienced a number of years ago.
Seventh, adversity demonstrates God's great love for us. On the surface, this might seem like a contradiction. Why would God allow us to struggle if He truly loves us. This is a tough question, and to answer it I think about my relationship with my two daughters. My wife and I attempt to give them boundaries big enough to make age-capable decisions. Sometimes this means that they make the wrong decision and get into a fix. If I protect them from every fix, they will never mature into adulthood. And we see this all around today - men and women that are adults chronologically, but have never "grown up". God wants His children to grow up and allowing us to experience adversity is one way this is accomplished.
Yes, times are tough right now. But if you are mired in adversity and feel the fog of hopelessness closing in on you, take heart because God is most likely at work in your life. Take a moment to reflect back through the list - is He calling you into a new leadership position? Maybe He is testing your faith or just sanding off the rough edges. Whatever the challenge, the first step is to take your eyes off of the problem and redirect your gaze to Jesus. He is real. He loves you. And He will never leave you. Won't you allow Him to draw near today?
2) Both "grow the good" and "get rid of the bad".
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Mike is the President and Founder of Born To Win, LLC. Mike's core belief is that "We are all Born To Win" - but sometimes we need a little help.
