Encouragement helps us not to Give Up.......
Encouragement helps us not to Give Up.......
When people experience hard times, it can sometimes seem that they're never going to end. The dictionary defines adversity as "a serious or continued difficulty." Although some people going through adversity are more likely to define it as hell. It is the long drawn-out nature of adversity, rather than brief spells of misfortune, that can crush the human spirit and cause related illnesses such as stress, anxiety and depression. However, it's also at such times that people can discover their inner resilience and optimism, while having strong faith that the difficult times will come to an end. Adversity visits us all from time to time, some more than others and in many different ways. It can come disguised as marriage trouble, sickness, financial calamity and debts, hardship from personal attacks, or even difficulty in the workplace or even the loss of one's job, or death of a loved one. Adversity is no respecter of persons. All of us will face it at sometime or other. The question is how we will respond to it. Try if you can muster up the energy to "Encourage Yourself"!! For me through my prayer life encouragement is one of my most powerful antidotes against adversity. Have you ever heard a car engine knock or splutter because it was low on oil? Then after oil was added the engine hummed along smoothly? Our lives are the same. Many times we get so busy with the cares and worries of this world and just getting by, that we run low on oil and get knocked and spluttered around. We stop putting the encouragement, prayers, care and love into our hearts and souls and that only lends to putting our lives in jeopardy. Learning how to overcome adversity should be always a major part of our character that we all must continually try to develop. Even though these situations can be devastating, life still goes on and we must do what is necessary to get through these difficult circumstances. As usual a story may help to explain.
Potatoes, Eggs and Coffee
"Once upon a time, a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn't know how she was going to make it through. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed. Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes, he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.
Turning to her, he asked, "Daughter, what do you see?" "Potatoes, eggs, and coffee," she hastily replied. "Look closer," he said, "and touch the potatoes." She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. It's rich aroma brought a smile to her face. "Father, what does this mean?" she asked. He then explained that the potatoes, eggs, and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity, boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. "Which are you?" he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
The Highs and Lows of Life
I don’t know about you but there have been times in my life where I just wanted to throw in the towel. I am sure we have all been down on our luck at some point. Personally, I have had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows through my journey through life so far. I have been depressed, discouraged, hurt, sad, worried, anxious and even terrified. I have even done some things I am sure no one could be proud of. But let’s make one thing clear, Life is a continuous succession of both small and large problems or joyful and sorrowful mysteries as I would like to call them. They never end. No sooner do you get control of one situation when you are hit by another. Life is a process of “two steps forward and one step back.” No matter how smart and clever and careful you are, you’ll face life struggles, challenges, difficulties, and sometimes heartbreaking adversities every day, week and month of your life. And in someway thank heavens for that! You couldn’t possibly have become the person you are today if you had not had to contend with adversity. Perhaps your chief aim in life is to develop a noble character, to become an excellent human being, to become everything you are capable of becoming. Only by contending with hard times that seem to be beyond your strength to handle at the moment you can grow more surely toward your goal. The starting point for me in dealing with any difficulty or worry is simply to relax and pray and ask God to help me and guide me safely through it. Clear your mind. Get yourself into a state where you’re calm and cool and in full control of your emotions and senses. Step back and look at the problem with a certain amount of detachment, as if it were happening to someone else. When you can analyze your adversities clearly, you sometimes see opportunities to turn them to your best advantage. And for me I always turn to God in prayer and light a candle for help, direction and guidance so that hopefully no matter how hard it is to make the right choice or decision. In dealing with adversity effectively, your ability to ask questions and to seek help and support and guidance is essential. As long as you are asking questions, you are expanding the range of options and possibilities that are open to you. As long as you are asking questions, you are keeping your mind calm and cool and objective and my prayers help me do that. It's important to not be afraid to admit that you’re in a bind. If you made a mistake, or dropped the ball and found yourself in a difficult situation, don’t be afraid to go to someone that you trust and admit that you need help. You’ll be amazed at the valuable advice that you can get from someone who has already experienced the difficulty that you’re going through or that you know you when you share your worries they will be received and listened too with love and genuine care. In dealing with adversity, perhaps one of the most important positive affirmations that I know that was given to me by my good friend David and hopefully you can remember it to at times if you are like me and suffer from anxiety and depression is this: “This, too, shall pass.” Whatever it is, however difficult it may appear, say to yourself, “This, too, shall pass.”
As a final thought, always remember that one of your main jobs in life is to become an expert in dealing with adversity, to triumph over difficulty, to rise above the challenges of day-to-day life. Keep your thoughts on where you’re going, not on where you’ve been. Keep your eyes on your goals, and keep your chin tilted upward towards the heavens. Resolve in advance that you will meet and overcome every difficulty, and then, no matter what happens, don’t give up until you do. Remember In life, things happen around us and things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us. Sometimes when we're heartbroken, our heart is broken open and we're able to give and receive more love. As long as we choose not to shut down around the pain but stay with the feelings and trust that we can survive them, heartbreak can be an opportunity to experience more love for ourselves, for a sick loved one or really for anyone in our lives. "God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world As it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right If I surrender to His Will; So that I may be reasonably happy in this life And supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next. Amen."