A pastor writes: ‘All of us want every day to be a good day. But if every day was a good day, there would be no “good” days, because there wouldn’t be any bad days to compare the good days to…Sickness helps us appreciate health. Failure helps us appreciate success. Debt helps us appreciate wealth. And the tough times help us appreciate the good times…Adversity is often the seedbed of opportunity [because it has] a way of bringing the best out of us…Adversity is often a blessing in disguise. We dream of zero gravity. We imagine what life would be like without any problems or issues or challenges. But from a biological perspective, zero gravity is hazardous to your health. Astronauts who spend any length of time in zero gravity experience serious medical complications. Without any resistance, they lose muscle mass and bone density, they experience high pulse rates and heart palpitations, and they can barely walk after re-entering the earth’s atmosphere. We may dream of zero gravity, but what we really need is a healthy dose of adversity. The people God uses the most are often the people who have experienced the most adversity. This isn’t necessarily…what you want to read, but it’s true. Adversity can produce an increased capacity to serve God.’ Why? Because adversity causes us to turn to God, lean on God, seek God, and get to know God in a way we otherwise wouldn’t. Some of God’s greatest promises in Scripture begin with the words ‘to him who overcomes’. The Bible says, ‘People who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits’ (Daniel 11:32 NKJV).

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.