Senior Living - July 30, 2015

Finding your purpose in adversity

July 30, 2015

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. - 1 Peter 5:10

English writer Somerset Maugham once wrote a story about a janitor at St. Peter’s Church in London. It was discovered one day that this janitor was illiterate – a fact he had concealed for some time. So the young vicar of the church fired him.

Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a small tobacco shop where he began to prosper. So he opened another shop… and then another, until he finally had a chain of tobacco stores that made him very rich.

One day while looking over their finances, a banker asked him, “Can you imagine where you’d be if only you could read and write?”

“Well,” replied the man, “I’d be the janitor at St. Peter’s Church.”

Adversity plays a part in almost every big success story. That’s because it’s not until we’re faced with tough times that we learn, grow, and find ways to move forward. This is especially true in the Christian life, where hard times often drive us to our knees in desperation just before we see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So instead of seeing your hardships as a curse, treat them as an opportunity to learn and grow. Let God use adversity to shape and mold you into a more devoted and mature follower of Christ!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to help you see your hard times as opportunities to learn and grow with Him.

Questions for Thought

Can you think of a time when adversity took you in a direction that was beneficial in the long term?

As you think about the tough circumstances you may be facing today, what can you do to learn and grow through them?

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