{"id":600,"date":"2013-10-08T11:33:41","date_gmt":"2013-10-08T11:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/yourbestlifenow\/?p=600"},"modified":"2013-10-08T12:51:33","modified_gmt":"2013-10-08T12:51:33","slug":"the-3-most-effective-ways-of-facing-adversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourbestlifenow\/2013\/10\/the-3-most-effective-ways-of-facing-adversity.html","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Most Effective Ways of Facing Adversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"adversity\"<\/a>Do you ever feel like you just do not know what to do?<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve been following a path that has felt right to you for a long time and doors of opportunity have opened, confirming the rightness of your choices. But then, suddenly, like lightening in a storm, adversity strikes\u2026challenges appear and doors slam shut in your face at almost every turn. \u00a0Uncertainty and doubt emerge. Fear, too, and an uneasiness in your gut that keeps you up at night, interrupts sleep, and occupies your every waking moment of thought. You second guess your choices and wonder if the adversity means that your original choices were all wrong.<\/p>\n

Ever been here? My guess is, this describes where some of you are right now. And, you\u2019re wondering what insight there might be into this dilemma.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it,\u201d you ask, \u201cI should do to face this adversity?\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are three important things to remember when facing adversity.<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Do not stray from the course you\u2019ve been following<\/strong>. You made these original decisions and took great risks because they felt authentic to you. In fact, they were the most authentic choices you had made in almost a lifetime. Do not go back now. Stay fixed on your vision of living true to your dreams.\u00a0 Your heart knows when you are being yourself\u2026when you\u2019re living by the beat of your own heart, values, and beliefs.<\/p>\n

When you made these choices months ago, or maybe even years ago now, you did so because you felt God releasing you from a lifetime of living in a prison of phoniness. For the first time in your life you felt free from everyone else\u2019s expectations, beliefs, and definitions of who you were supposed to be. You must remember these original decisions and choices that brought you to the place where you are today. And, even though things seem uncertain and you\u2019re not sure what\u2019s coming next, stay firmly fixed on the freedom you\u2019ve been given, the authenticity you have known, and the person you have become.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Remind yourself that the doubts you\u2019re having\u2026the second-guessing is not your enemy.<\/strong> Do not resist the doubts.\u00a0 Embrace them instead. They\u2019re part of the journey, too. I know this for I have, and still have from time to time, many doubts of my own. I still second-guess myself, too. I still question God. And, I know that doubt is not the opposite of faith and, therefore, its antithesis. Doubt is faith stretching its wings to take flight into a Presence ever higher and grander than you could ever imagine.<\/p>\n

Faith and doubt are the flip sides of the same coin. So live into your doubts as an indication, not of weakness, but of growth. Doubts do not mean something is wrong with your faith. Contrary to the misinformed kind of conversation about faith you see and hear from the television preachers, faith isn\u2019t something you and I acquire in quantities. They\u2019re always saying nonsensical things like, \u201cIf you just have a little more faith, you would receive what you need.\u201d If that were true, why do they spend so much of their time praying and praying more for money during their fund drives? Does God withhold the money they think they need until they\u2019ve offered so many prayers or reached a certain threshold in the amount of faith they\u2019re supposed to have? Does God wait to give them what they need until they have \u201cenough\u201d faith?<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 comments about \u201cfaith the size of a mustard seed\u201d may be one of the most widely misunderstood metaphors to have even come from Jesus\u2019 lips (Matt. 17:20). He was not speaking of quantity of faith with this image but the power of faith. Faith may seem against the mountain of adversity you\u2019re facing as inconsequential\u2026powerless. But, faith, even when its as a mustard seed has the capacity to move mountains.\u00a0 In other words, no mountain is anything more than a molehill when faith is present, even faith no bigger than a mustard seed.\u00a0 See the difference?<\/p>\n

Faith is not a commodity you pick up like picking up a gallon of milk at the grocery. It is the way you live. Faith is waiting on God when the temptation is to take control of things and bulldozing the mountain yourself. Faith is forgiving yourself when you do take over because it\u2019s hard to believe sometimes. Faith is accepting yourself and your doubts and letting go of self-judgment, knowing that God does not finally accept you when you\u2019ve attained to some imaginary level of faith. God accepts you even when you doubt more than you believe. Faith is forgiving yourself and once again learning to wait on God.<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0There\u2019s one more thing: During this time of barrenness\u2026when the adversities are big\u2026frightening\u2026and many, know that the spring of new life is coming.<\/strong> It is. Watch for it. But have no expectations as to when it will show up. Grow through this by going inward daily and there remaining in the company of the Eternal.<\/p>\n

If you will do this, you will find joy in the Presence and peace in the present.\u00a0 Doubts will be kept at bay, adversities and challenges will not be overwhelming, and God\u2019s Presence will be to you as a fresh-water spring. It will quench your barren soul. I cannot stress more strongly the importance of returning to this inner place of nurture on a daily basis.\u00a0 Again, bring no expectations, just a watchful, open heart. Wait on God and see what happens. The writer of Proverbs put it like this:<\/p>\n

\u201cTrust God from the bottom of your heart;\u2028don\u2019t try to figure out everything on your own.\u2028Listen for God\u2019s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;\u2028he\u2019s the one who will keep you on track.\u2028Don\u2019t assume that you know it all.\u2028Run to God! Run from evil!\u2028Your body will glow with health and\u2028your very bones will vibrate with life!\u201d (Prov. 3:5-6).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you ever feel like you just do not know what to do? You\u2019ve been following a path that has felt right to you for a long time and doors of opportunity have opened, confirming the rightness of your choices. But then, suddenly, like lightening in a storm, adversity strikes\u2026challenges appear and doors slam shut…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":551,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1105],"tags":[1114,1110,1115,1113,1106,1111,852,1116,836,1118,1112,1108,1119,1107,1109,1117],"class_list":["post-600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adversity","tag-adversities","tag-authentic-choices","tag-challenges","tag-doubts","tag-facing-adversity","tag-faith-and-doubt","tag-fear","tag-gods-presence","tag-mustard-seed","tag-proverbs","tag-time-of-barrenness","tag-too","tag-trust-god","tag-uncertainty-and-doubt-emerge","tag-uneasiness-in-your-gut","tag-wait-on-god"],"yoast_head":"\nThe 3 Most Effective Ways of Facing Adversity - Your Best Life Now<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourbestlifenow\/2013\/10\/the-3-most-effective-ways-of-facing-adversity.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 3 Most Effective Ways of Facing Adversity - Your Best Life Now\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Do you ever feel like you just do not know what to do? 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