What Adversity Teaches Us

ad·ver·si·ty

ədˈvərsədē/

noun

noun: adversity; plural noun: adversities

difficulties; misfortune.

"resilience in the face of adversity"

synonyms:

misfortune, ill luck, bad luck, trouble, difficulty, hardship, distress, disaster, suffering, affliction, sorrow, misery, tribulation, woe, pain, trauma...

Ben White, Unsplash

Oddly, the list ends with this single word:  "More..." And you can click on that four-letter word to find even more synonyms for this one single word.

Great. More adversity! Let's PARTY!!!! ;)

But here's the good side of this.

Adversity is universal.

It affects everyone.

No one is immune.

You're probably thinking "What the heck? What's the use? What's the point? WHY ME????"

Okay, before you go all "Eeyore" on me (and you probably have guessed I'm not a big Eeyore fan, I'd have shipped that critter off to the glue factory long ago but he's fictional and I can simply avoid him... and I do! In a house loaded with kids' books, you will not find whiny old Eeyore even though I think Classic Pooh kids bedding is adorable. I'm fickle that way)

Think roller coaster. Picture mountains. Sing "God Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts.

Andrew Neel, Unsplash.com

Broken roads happen.

Life kinda sucks sometimes. Grief lives among us. And it's heartbreaking and gut-wrenching... but it's also real and if nothing else, all stories should have a grain of real embedded in them. This crosses genre. Comedy without reality is usually weak and um... stupid.

Strife not rooted in reality has a weak cornerstone and readers will pick up on that pretty quick.

Courtesy of Samuel Martins, Unsplash.com

But this isn't about adversity in stories.

This is about adversity in life.

Our lives.

Ben White, Unsplash

If you're born with the "worry gene" is that a bad thing? Or does it help you to be more aware of potential disaster than your more devil-may-care counterparts?

I don't know. I don't know if this is better or worse for introverts because it shouldn't be a contest, right?

Ben White, Unsplash

People get sick. They die. Mortgages get defaulted on. Children leave. Children come back with children of their own. Parents age. Parents die. Businesses fail. Jobs are lost. New jobs might be a shadow of the old job's wages. People lose children. They lose babies. Babies are born with grave health issues. Mental health issues crop up. Children fail out of school. Fall in with a bad sort. Get hooked on drugs or crash a car or a motorcycle.

Kyle Broad, Unsplash

Life isn't a smooth plane. It's not a level playing field. It's not always fair and not always good and not always wholesome.

We write fictional stories and we fix things but the reality is that we can't wave a keyboard and fix those things in real life.

It doesn't happen.

In real life we slog through the good, the bad and the ugly.

We forge ahead with whatever wherewithal we can muster.

We put our shoulders to the wheel or the grindstone or whatever we're supposed to put our shoulders to.

We don't quit.

We don't whine.

We don't give up.

Believe me on this: All jobs are tough when you're stressed. All jobs are a drain on mind and time and substance when you're worried. But if you're working a time-clock job, you can't just take six months off and wallow in despair.

I don't honestly know if that's good or bad. 

I'd love to hear what you think because you've all suffered. You've all lost loved ones or been thwarted in careers or jobs or marriage or parenthood.

I think adversity teaches us to be stronger people. Better Christians. (Generally I compare my adversity to third-world countries and then realize I'm about the biggest whiner in the world. Perspective being a great teaching tool!)

Fischer Twins, Unsplash

But what do you think? Has climbing mountains and fording rivers helped you? Or left you broken?

I've got a fresh copy of "More Than a Promise" my newest re-release, and it's a book you're going to love because no one can read this book... and see the antics of these naughty boys.... and witness the pain the adults have gone through without outright cheering for a happy ending!

Before the boys blow themselves up, the little darlings! :)

Leave a comment below.... join in the dance!... and tell us what you think about adversity and how it's helped or hindered you.

No one here will judge you.

But we just might be able to help.

 Multi-published, bestselling and award-winning author Ruth Logan Herne loves to share her opinions with anyone who'll listen, and she's willing to bribe them with giveaways to make that happen! Clearly her family has had enough of her loving lectures to last a good long while!

Find her on facebook where she loves to chat and pray with others, follow her on Amazon or Bookbub (which makes her editors SO HAPPY! or stop by her website ruthloganherne.com 

She loves to meet readers, writers and has a great love for small and sometimes naughty people! And dogs... and chocolate and coffee. All of which make her smile a lot!