Adversity? What Adversity?
April 6, 2009 by Lillie
The theme for this month’s group writing project at Middle Zone Musings is What I Learned from Adversity. If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you might think I have plenty to write about.
I’ve been through a number of experiences that could be called adversity … things like:
- Rejection, both personal and professional
- Robbery and molestation at gunpoint
- An attack by a Doberman requiring more than 50 stitches in my head
- A burst appendix I didn’t know about for a week
- A stroke at the hands of a chiropractor that put in a wheelchair for five years
- Uncontrolled myoclonic seizures for six years, keeping me from participating in life fully
Yet in this Holy Week, I am contemplating what my Lord and Savior did for me, and I realize that, compared to Jesus, I’ve never suffered adversity.
As Isaiah (Chapter 53, KJV) prophesied:
1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Nothing I have ever experienced or ever will experience can compare to our Lord and Savior being beaten, mocked, tortured, and murdered in the most vicious way.
And why? For my sins and your sins and the sins of the whole world. If I were the only person who needed redemption, Jesus would have died for me alone. My sin makes me Judas betraying Him, the chief priests and scribes condemning Him, Pilate washing his hands of Him, the crowd calling “Crucify Him!,” and the Roman soldiers killing Him.
Yet Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34, KJV)
What have I learned from adversity? I’ve learned that …
- Jesus “was oppressed, and he was afflicted” (Isaiah 53:7, KJV), and any adversity I will ever endure is mild compared to what He suffered.
- Whenever I go through adversity, Jesus is with me “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5, KJV)
- “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18, KJV)
Not just great lessons – the greatest of all time!
Whenever I stop to contemplate the journey He willingly chose, well, it never ceases to amaze me.
Thanks for this excellent and timely reminder of a powerful lesson! Tip o’ the hat to ya!
Robert,
I read about it; I hear about it; I think about it. And still it is beyond my comprehension.
Lillie,
I had not previously heard about what you have previously been through.
Those things which you describe are downright awful, and I am very sorry to hear that about what you have had to endure.
But as saddened as I am to hear about those things, I am very, very much encouraged to hear about your faith in Jesus, and your love for our great savior.
I share in the sentiments expressed by Robert, as much as I read and think about the sufferings of Christ on the cross, and as many times as I thank the lord for that amazing event, the extent of pure love which our maker demonstrated toward us is well beyond my comprehension.
Andrew´s last blog post..The shopkeeper who did not like ‘nigger money’
Thank you, Andrew. I agree—we simply can’t comprehend the magnitude of our Lord’s love and sacrifice with our human minds and emotions.
I’m not sure that I know everything about Jesus as there is very little exposure on the almighty here but I learnt what Jesus did to save people.
Elder’s always say, compare your problems/adversity with a person who is in a much worse situation,then you feel you aren’t in any Adversity.
The lighter part of this article was, you mentioned 6 adversities you faced and I felt a small humorous smile on my face coming across one of those.. You can well guess what that is? Sorry for that !!
sriraj,
There is a lot about Jesus on the Internet. If you’re interested, I can direct you to some sites.
I’m not sure which of my adversities made you smile, but I’m glad it did.
Attack by a sweet Doberman Lillie !!
I read that post and you surely disturbed his ‘activity’ !!
And about Jesus, yes please, suggest me the best sites !!
sriraj,
Ahh, I didn’t realize you had read the original post. Now I understand why you smiled.
A good place to start learning about Jesus is Who is Jesus. Then there is a lot more excellent information on the Christian Answers site.
You will find links to many other sites at Your Faith.
There are Bibles in many languages at Bible Gateway. I wrote a couple of posts about reading the Bible that you might find helpful. The Gospel of John is a good place to start to learn about Jesus.
If you have questions, please e-mail me. I will do my best to answer.
Lillie, thank you for once again, pointing out what is truly important.
jennifer,
When I started thinking about Holy Week, there was nothing else I could write about.
i totally agree with your statement which is adversity.i like this post.thanks to sharing this valuable information dear.
You’re welcome, Andrew. I’m glad you agree.
Thank you for posting these verses. They really make you think about the suffering Christ had to endure for our salvation.
Lloyd,
These prophetic words move me as much as the descriptions of the Passion and Crucifixion in the Gospels. And somehow reading them in the King James Version is even more powerful.
wow, i’d say you’ve handled adversity just fine, keep it up, and keep a positive outlook.
Thank you, Richard. A positive outlook and faith are the keys to dealing with adversity.
We can learn so much from our adversities, but after seeing yours mine seem very pale in comparison. We do need to realize as well that no matter how much we have been through there are always though who have been through and made it through so much more.
Tracy,
You make a good point that we can use the adversities of other people to encourage and inspire us when we go through our own trials and tribulations.
Lillie, you’re definitely a wise lady, as you have your own ways to interpret and overcome the adversity! I learned many useful things, after reading your blogpost.
wilson,
You are very kind and generous. I’m glad you’ve learned something here and hope you continue to do so.
Lillie, I think of Psalm 34:19 “many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord lives him out of them all” when I read what you have experienced.
Truly, our Christian lives are challenging, rarely the smooth road that some imagine it to be. But, we have a wonderful example in suffering, Jesus Christ, who did it without complaint.
I pray that I’ll be more Christ-like as I go through life, relying on Him to sustain me.
Matt,
I, too, pray to become more Christ-like day by day.
Lillie, Your spirit shows exactly what difference it makes when you go through with Him. You come out a different and stronger person. I like the fact that you never let adversity take you down.
Whenever I’ve faced adversity, I’ve quietly reflected on the Lord. He was there.
Thanks for sharing.
Robyn,
Thank you for your kind words and for the reminder that even in the midst of adversity it is important to be quiet and seek the Lord.
It’s so wondrously illogical that a man Jesus accepted agonies none of us could bear so that we might join Him and His Father in heaven. Jesus didn’t remove the sting from our human condition, but he gave us the gift of expectation and life beyond this world’s adversities. Thanks for your testimony!
Terro,
Excellent point that “Jesus didn’t remove the sting from our human condition, but he gave us the gift of expectation and life beyond this world’s adversities.”
Thanks for visiting and commenting.
It amazes me, as through adversity, we are all a little stronger, and able to face the next with a keen knowledge. Great Writing!
Mickymar,
Thank you. Adversity is a good teacher and if we handle it well does make us stronger.
Dear Lille,
I felt so happy to read the post on the reflections of the passion, suffering of Christ.
The adversities are a way to unite ourselves with Christ. It’s very important. But, your suffering though is painful, by accepting that and sharing that here makes us all more strengthened once again reminded of Jesus’ love for me and all.
Thanks for the links you gave above I’m actually looking for some.
thank you for sharing, and may the Lord bless you with good health!
Solomon
Solomon,
I’m glad you found the post helpful. Although I have had difficulties in my life, I’ve had far more blessings, for which I am very thankful.
Hi Lillie, You have endured a great deal, and I think your post here, and your attitude in general, is a really good example of how suffering unites us with Christ. The teachings you recall here are hard teachings. They are not things people want to hear, but through my own suffering – which pales in comparison to yours – I can vouch for their truth.
Brad,
It’s never easy to hear hard teachings, but the blessings always outweigh the difficulties.
Thanks for linking to this post (from your 12/27/09 post). It’s true that we have so much (even when it feels like we have nothing), there is so much to be grateful for.
Emma,
Thank you for your comment.
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