Adversity

"If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be." -John Heywood

Adversity is a part of our existence whether we want it to be or not. While some suffering may seem pointless or gratuitous, I believe it only appears that way on the surface because we do not understand God's plans for us. There have been times when I have experienced great difficulties and couldn't understand why. Yet in hindsight I have seen that my sorrows produced the fertile soil in which I could later plant the seeds of success. My suffering has also helped me to feel empathy for others and a desire to ease their burdens in any way I can.

At times, though, I have experienced losses so distressing that I fear I will never fully understand the reasons for them. I can only hope that someday, perhaps in the world beyond the grave, my perspective will broaden and I will see the good that came from those experiences, too. In the mean time I will simply trust that there is a purpose to my suffering, and perhaps that purpose is to teach me that I can be happy even in the most trying situations.

I believe that life can be amazing and wonderful. I don't expect to feel good every single moment of every day, but I can have joy much of the time. Waiting for fate to serve up satisfaction on a silver platter will yield very poor results, but recognizing that happiness is a choice can be quite liberating. Mental fitness, like physical fitness, requires constant work to be maintained, and no single effort can ensure perpetual results. Happiness is a lifestyle, not an event. It is a journey, not a destination. It is a choice, not a random occurrence.