My challenging quote for the week was penned by the wonderfully inspired William Shakespeare. "Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course".
Most of us deem adversity to be a negative thing, something to be avoided if at all possible. Adversity can, however be a good thing. When Pocahontas came upon a fork in the river, she had to choose between the quiet and mild water, which would have required very little effort to navigate, and the wild, unpredictable rapids. She chose the latter, and to paraphrase Robert Frost, that made all the difference, for had she chosen otherwise, she would not have been rewarded with the life she desired.
Most of us deem adversity to be a negative thing, something to be avoided if at all possible. Adversity can, however be a good thing. When Pocahontas came upon a fork in the river, she had to choose between the quiet and mild water, which would have required very little effort to navigate, and the wild, unpredictable rapids. She chose the latter, and to paraphrase Robert Frost, that made all the difference, for had she chosen otherwise, she would not have been rewarded with the life she desired.
We have such decisions to make in our own lives; we can choose to be complacent and comfortable, to sit on the sidelines and be mere observers of life. Or we can choose to accept these challenges, to exercise our gifts and stretch our God-given abilities and become stronger for it.
So, when confronted with adverse situations, situations in which you may have no idea as to the end result, remember it does not have to be as intimidating and paralyzing as it may seem. Though initially it may appear to be a risky endeavor, embrace the challenge. Push through the barriers, real or imagined, which hinder you from reaching your goal; develop the fortitude to overcome the obstacles no matter how large or how unyielding they are. You yourself must determine not to yield, but take the advice of the wise men.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
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