Adversity Can Be Positive

Many of us go through life thinking that life would be much greater and much more fun if we didn't have challenging times, if everything went along just like we wanted. I once saw an episode of The Twighlight Zone in which the main character wished that he would never again lose a game of pool. He then found himself in the twighlight zone in which his wish was granted.

He was having the time of his life...for a while. Then it got boring. No matter what he did, he couldn't lose. He became very frustrated and it totally took the fun out of his favorite game.

This past weekend the US Ryder Cup team defeated the Europeans for the first time since 1999. It was becoming old, with the Europeans continually winning the cup.

Up until the 1980s the US held the cup and never lost. Rarely was anybody talking about the Ryder Cup. It wasn't until the Europeans upset the Americans in 1985 to break a drought dating back to 1957 that the Ryder Cup became a big deal.

Because the Europeans had a stranglehold on the cup in recent years, the significance of the cup was once again becoming diminished, especially from a European perspective. By winning the cup back, the US team now has added more fuel to the fire so that the next Ryder Cup match played in two years will be a very big deal again.

Let's remember this in our lives, especially when adversity strikes. The adversity certainly isn't fun; however, it helps to add flavor to our lives and actually makes it less boring.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5:3-4