Welcome to “Tuesday Morning”—where fresh insights abound for Christians everywhere.

 

I have met only a few people in life who welcomed adversity. My high school football coach was one. He created a “game” in practice that he called “Dog Eat Dog.” He would line up seven linemen in full pads on offense and seven on defense and then on signal let them go at each other—one line against the other. He played under Knute Rockne at Notre Dame in the 1930s, where he picked up the idea. I don’t remember anyone liking it, except the coaching staff and the quarterbacks. They got to watch.

 

Contrary to the observation of the Apostle James (1:2-4), adversity is no fun at all. He said, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds….” I wonder if he called for a vote on the subject. Are you kidding me? He called it “pure joy.” He never had to go through an IRS audit. But that is what he said—pure joy. His point was a good one. Life sends adversities our way, whether we welcome them or not. How we respond to them determines our strength of character.

 

The subject of this week’s “Tuesday Morning” is “Adversity—A Bridge to Somewhere.” Continue reading below when you are ready, and let God say some new things to you about character building.

 

Tom Barnard

On the Bridge

Adversity: A Bridge to Somewhere

Tom Barnard

 

ape Cod in Massachusetts got its name from the very delectable white fish that flourish offshore in the north Atlantic and along the New England coastline. Cod, Haddock, and Halibut are among a half-dozen species of white fish that are popular from the east coast to the west.

 

A century ago—as Americans in the west demanded fresh fish from the east, commercial businesses in New England experimented in ways to transport cod to the west. Shipping live fish was problematic, until one entrepreneur suggested that if the cod were placed in a seawater tanks along with their natural enemy—catfish—they would feel “at home” and survive the transport to the west. What was the secret? The catfish chased the cod all around the tanks for the entire trip. When the cod arrived at the market, they were fresh and strong as if they had just been caught. At least that is how the story was told. You decide.

 

But commenting on this story, Charles Swindoll said, “Each of us is in a tank of particular and inescapable circumstances. It is painful enough to stay in the tank. But in addition to our situation, there are God-appointed ‘catfish’ to bring sufficient tension that keeps us alive, alert, fresh, and growing….”

 

That thinking may suffice for explaining the people that come our way and create problems for us. But what about the other adversities that don’t have a first and last name? Things like cancer, business failure, forest-fires and mud-slides in California, hurricanes in Texas and Louisiana, earthquakes in Haiti. The question is, “How can we turn adversities into bridges to somewhere, rather than bridges to nowhere?”

 

·        Remember that God uses broken things. Just because you feel broken in your spiritual journey doesn’t mean you are not worth anything but to be discarded. It means that God can now use you to perform his tasks. Brokenness is a good thing.

 

·        Learn to re-cycle failures and setbacks. A century or so ago golf balls were manufactured with no dimples. Then someone discovered that golf balls that are roughed up fly further than smooth ones. So, companies began manufacturing golf balls with dimples, which reduce drag on a ball, redirecting more air pressure behind the ball than in front of it. Re-cycling our failures is a good idea.

 

·        Crosswinds accelerate us. Sailboats move forward when the winds blow from the side, not from the stern. Sails catch the wind and move the boat forward. As James Michener wrote, tension can be maintained, and “juices can flow and ideas can germinate; for ships, like men, respond to challenge.”

 

·        Cutting and polishing is what reveals both beauty and value in diamonds—and in people.  Diamonds become beautiful only after being cut and polished by an expert. What cuts a diamond best is a diamond-edged blade. And what polishes a diamond best is diamond dust. Someone has said that “adversity is the diamond dust with which heaven polishes its jewels.” But most important is the diamond cutter—the craftsman who does the cutting and polishing. The Holy Spirit is the “diamond cutter” of the soul. He knows us best and understands what we need to become a finished product.

 

·        Eliminating hurts leads to boredom, not joy. Eugene Peterson offers this wisdom: “A common but futile strategy for achieving joy is trying to eliminate things that hurt: get rid of pain by numbing the nerve ends; get rid of insecurity by eliminating risks; get rid of disappointments by depersonalizing your relationships. And then try to lighten the boredom of such a life by buying joy in the form of vacations and entertainment.” You can’t “buy” joy. It is a fruit of the Spirit.

 

·        Adversity is a positive thing. In Philippians 3:10 Paul spoke of the “fellowship of His suffering.” It accompanies the “power of his resurrection.” Matthew Henry said, “Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces—Sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotions.”

 

The Psalmist had it right: “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:19). For the Christian, adversity can be a bridge to somewhere…very, very good.