“It is not adversity that kills, but the impatience with which we bear the adversity.”
Father James Keller was visiting the Tower of London when he found the inscription above. It was written almost four hundred years ago by a condemned prisoner who carved the words on the wall of his cell to keep up his spirits during a long imprisonment. Keller was moved by the hope and courage that was embodied in the message. Adversity will come for each of us during our travel through life. How we deal with these difficulties makes all of the difference.None of us need to be paralyzed by the adversity that comes our way. We have the opportunity to rise above it. We can allow ourselves to be strengthened by our personal faith followed by dogged determination and hard work.
We have choices when presented with adversity. Despite the fact that we might feel trapped or cornered with only one way to go, we can choose our attitude and practice patience. We can choose to be models of inspiration through the courage and poise with which we meet the hardship.We can embrace the situation with a spirit of acceptance. There is nothing more powerful than the example of grace under pressure. It is what Ernest Hemingway called ‘guts’.We can prevail over almost anything as long as we are willing to keep making the best choices. They won’t always be right but we just keep trying and ultimately the good things will overcome the bad.
“Life’s about adversity. The whole key to it, when adversity comes, you either get bitter or you get better.” ~ Dabo Swinney
Robert Kenneth Jones is an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse.In a career spanning over four decades, his work helping people recover from childhood abuse and addiction has earned him the respect of his peers.His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.
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Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast