How a year full of adversity paved the way for a year full of growth
Written by Tom Wilcox (PoP’s Project Manager)
“Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil and let us see what we are made of.” - Charles Spurgeon
Have You Ever Had One of Those Years?
Have you ever had one of those years where a worldwide pandemic happened trapping you inside the house, yet you still had to move because your contract was up and things were getting crazy?
Or how about, one of those years where you spend 6 hours in line at the grocery store and find new ways of entertaining yourself by the conversations happening inside your head because facemasks and social distancing prevent you from hearing what other people are trying to say.
Or one of those years when you saved up the whole year before to go visit your family in a different country than where you live and you had to cancel your tickets and spend Christmas alone at the house.
If so, then you're not alone, each one of those things happened to me too. I felt angry, I felt Hurt, I was unconvinced, I battled the anxiety right there with you.
But It Didn’t Break Me...And Here’s Why.
God has used this year to remind me of the things that matter, to get me to pay attention, and to get creative with the celebrations of life.
We had our 1st wedding anniversary this year, which far from the ideals of many couples took place in our home surrounded by my in-laws and a family dinner. We almost weren't able to get the cake even because the mall was on lockdown the day after we went there to place our order.
My wife has been pregnant, gave birth, and is pregnant again. Now that was a pleasantly crazy ride. There were times we had no idea how God would get us to the pregnancy center that was way across town when Grab was non-operational because of the lockdown and private cars would not operate after it got dark.
And don’t even get me started on moving during a pandemic.
But, As Exciting As Those Were: The Biggest Changes Took place in who I was. The reason this is so important is that unlike before when I could freely give myself distractions from the issues of life, this pandemic forced me to face them head-on. I have learned by having a daughter that screams and is easily bored that I am angry, and I have had to pray, ask for forgiveness, and get better at remembering who God is, who I am, and who she is.
I have learned that as much as I think there is a right way of seeing things and dealing with problems, other people don’t always share that and in fact, sometimes fight against it. I have had to learn to be kind, listen better, and care more.
I have learned that even the best relationships can come under attack from things outside of our control. This has caused me to learn how to look for the root cause of an issue, pray about it, and work together with my wife or partner to find a way through.
“What Does Any of This Do For Me?”
On its own, nothing. But, my hope is that you are encouraged to see the power of shifting your perspective and looking even in the bad times for what God is doing.
Now I know that may have opened up a whole can of worms by saying “what God is doing” but if there is a God and he is both personal (by which I mean he cares about each one of us individually) and good (by which I mean he is the epitome of what it means to be good and longs for good things for us) then it’s reasonable to believe that He is up to good things even when life is not.
Now What DO I Want You To DO:
What does this look like for you?
I invite you to take 60 seconds to write down and really think about what it means to see growth opportunities in the midst of adversity. And if you're feeling bold, type that out as a reply to this email.
Takeaway/Reinforce The Message:
If all you remember from this is one thing, let it be this. That there is a God and even when life gets ugly he plans for our growth and our good.