On Not Getting Discouraged

Thomas à Kempis

Patience and humility in adversities are more beneficial than much comfort in prosperity. Why does a little thing spoken against you make you sad? ?Let it go by; it is not the first, it is not new, and it will not be the last if you live long. ?You are brave enough, so long as no adversity meets you. ?You also give good counsel and know how to strengthen others with your words, but when tribulation suddenly knocks at your own door, your counsel and strength fail.

Let your heart not be troubled; if trials come, let them not cast you down nor entangle you long. ?At the least, bear them patiently if you cannot joyfully. ?And although you be unwilling to listen to criticism, check yourself, and utter no unadvised word from your lips, whereby the little ones may be offended. ?Soon the storm which has been raised shall be stilled, and inward grief shall be sweetened by returning grace.

Be calm of spirit, and gird thyself for greater endurance. ?All is not frustrated, though you find yourself very often afflicted or grievously tempted.

What should you do in great tribulations and anxieties??Look unto the One for salvation no matter what things or how many you suffer.?Pray for a good end so you may have a happy passage out of this world. ?The end will come, whether you like it or not.

David Langiulli

"Patience and humility in adversities are more beneficial than much comfort in prosperity" from the Good Monk struck me as a pith of wisdom.?How often do we want our troubles, challenges, and adversities to disappear quickly??And when they do not, we get frustrated and discouraged.?

The fact is that life is full of trials and tribulations intermingled with periods of ease and flow.?Without the difficulties, we would not know the joy when everything is seemingly going our way.

This is not easy. ?In my experience with difficult times, I prefer they pass by quickly.?However, when they often do not, I now look for gifts.?

One of the gifts of experiencing and passing through hardships is that you get to help others do the same.?When you demonstrate peace and tranquility even through tough times, people notice, marvel, and want to emulate you.

In this way, you get to be a model for them.

Consider Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison.?On Robben Island, he faced harsh conditions meant to break him. ?He was forced to wear shorts and sandals, even in winter, while other prisoners could wear pants and shoes.

Condemned to hard labor, Mandela and his fellow activists broke rocks in a lime quarry for over a decade.

Contact with the outside world was almost completely severed. ?When Mandela arrived on Robben Island, he was permitted one letter and one 30‐minute visit every six months. ?He was denied permission to attend his mother's funeral, who passed away in 1968, and when one of his sons died in a car accident in 1969. ?It would be 21 years before he could hold his wife, Winnie Mandela, again.

As he reflected upon the experience, Mandela said: "As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison."

Thomas à Kempis?was a medieval monk and author of?The Imitation of Christ.

David Langiulli?is an Executive Coach and Leadership Trainer. This essay is an excerpt from his forthcoming book:?Wisdom from the Middle Ages for Living in Modern Times.