How To Overcome Adversity?
Here are five simple ways to overcome adversity.
- Be aware of your emotions as you are processing the information you’re taking in.
- Focus on increasing the discerning of your surroundings, as well as your responses to what’s going on.
- Be quick to correct yourself when you overreact.
- Become intentional with your thought life. Bring your emotions into submission by counteracting negative thoughts with positive words.
- Avoid the temptation to interact negatively with people who cause a threat to you. Visualize yourself overcoming the problem and do not give negative people your energy.
How Do You Stay Positive When Facing Adversity?
I’ll admit, I’ve spent a good majority of my life wearing rose-colored glasses. “Ignorance is bliss” could have been my catchphrase. But over time, I have grown more aware of the negativity that surrounds us in the news and popular culture, and I’ve found that staying positive requires a little more effort.
As I have become more educated about history and current events, I have also experienced more sadness. Being a naturally positive person, I find sorrow to be an uncomfortable emotion. I do not like to dwell on it. I used to dismiss depression as a selfish mindset, believing that when you allow yourself to become engulfed in sadness, you are only thinking about how things affect you. You are ignoring what other people may be experiencing and putting too much emphasis on your own emotions. Now, however, I see that there is some value in sadness.
Timeless Wisdom for Adversity
Ecclesiastes 1:18 says, “For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”
King Solomon is among the wealthiest kings who ever lived. When God told him he would grant him any request, Solomon replied that he only wanted wisdom so that he could better serve his people. God responded by not only giving him wisdom, but also with great riches.
To put his wealth in proper context, contemporary estimates place Solomon’s worth between $1.056 and $2.1 trillion. One might think that with that amount of money, what’s there to be sad about? But remember, he was first granted even greater wisdom than he was given wealth. And King Solomon is the one who said that he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Besides that, like Biggie said, “mo money mo problems.” He also had far too many wives and concubines, which is a sure recipe for drama.
But let me get to the point. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” So, the key here is that for your sorrow to be productive, it must be “godly” sorrow. But what does that mean?
How do you overcome adversity and hard times?
With the instability of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic fallout following the global shelter-in-place period, it’s tempting to get carried away with worry, fear, anger, and other negative emotions. Or you may become complacent, thinking that since everything is out of your control, what can you do? Neither of these approaches is productive or fruitful. Overreacting will cause you to misstep. Underreacting will leave you unequipped for whatever lies ahead.
I’ve gone through phases in my life when I was seeking knowledge, watching the news obsessively, tuning into alternative media sources and researching all sorts of books, peer-reviewed scientific literature, watching documentaries, and finding everything I could get my hands on to learn “the truth” of what was going on around me. During those times, I would notice my blood pressure rising. Something was bubbling up inside of me, and I thought if I just developed the right survival strategies, stored enough food, bought enough gold and silver, that would alleviate my stress. But the only time I ever found any peace was when I turned off the news, set aside the books and videos, and opened my bible.
Adversity and Fear: Overcoming the Monster
That something that was bubbling up inside of me was fear. It was driving my desire to solve problems with my strategies, and no matter how much I stored up, there was always something I could think of that I didn’t have but that I might need during whatever emergency I imagined might happen. I told myself I was responsible, because “faith without works is dead.”
But that wasn’t faith, because as much as I didn’t want to admit it, it was driven by fear.
It’s essential to educate ourselves about what is going on in the world. And it is crucial to be prepared for unexpected calamity. But for us believers who desire to walk in faith, it’s equally important to do these things with a calm assured that no matter what happens, the Most High God will not leave us stranded. He will supply our every need.
Proverbs 21:31 says, “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.”
I’ve relied on this proverb to give me peace that, yes, preparation is wise, but ultimately it is going to be the Lord who keeps me safe. But there is even more meaning behind this scripture.
Ancient wisdom from one of the world’s wealthiest men
King Solomon, in all his knowledge, is credited with writing the majority of the book of Proverbs, so in all likelihood, he wrote this verse, too. However, in Deuteronomy 17:16, God had instructed His people not to acquire horses for battle. “But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.” Yet King Solomon disobeyed this instruction and built up an arsenal of 40,000 stalls of horses for 12,000 chariots (1 Kings 4:26).
Look at Solomon! Or better yet, look at me. With all the knowledge I was seeking, I tried to match it with my own version of horses and chariots. I would store hoards of water and food in case of shortages. But then, what if there was a fire and I had to flee my home? I surely wouldn’t be able to drag 40 gallons of water, a safe full of gold and silver, plus three weeks’ worth of food out of my house in a hurry. I could store all my photos and relevant documents online, convert cash to crypto-currency and invest in an RV in case a California wildfire reaches my home… but then what about an EMP attack? If the internet gets taken down, there go my online resources. Maybe if I had King Solomon’s wealth, I could prepare for any emergency I could dream up. But I most certainly do not. And where is the faith in that?
Questions about adversity, God and faith?
Why didn’t God want the Israelites to acquire horses? Because they would have to go back to Egypt to get them, and then they’d be setting up a false sense of security in their ability to negotiate with their former oppressor, rather than trusting in the God who delivered them from that oppressor.
Trying to store up everything I could think of to suit any imaginable scenario gave me anxiety because it never seemed to be enough. Then I would feel conflicted, knowing that even though I was by no means wealthy, I was still able to do more than countless other people who would be left with nothing in the same types of scenarios. What made me any better than so many others in the world who simply didn’t have the resources to prepare? I wasn’t any more virtuous or intelligent or righteous than someone who was born into poverty. I may have made a few good decisions in my life, but I’ve made more mistakes than I can count.
Thinking this way long enough would bring me to my knees in prayer. It was the only thing that could relieve all the anxiety and conflict this knowledge gave me. This is the godly sorrow spoken of in 2 Corinthians. Godly sorrow is productive when it leads you to prayer. Through prayer, I could repent for the mistakes I made, the selfish mindset I’d fallen into, and I could empty all those negative emotions and gain relief in knowing that no matter what, my salvation can only be found in one source: the Most High God.
What are some examples of adversity?
Adversity could come in a physical form. It could be a medical problem or a physical disability. It could be emotional, prompted by the sudden loss of a loved one, a divorce, or a childhood trauma that is difficult to overcome. Adversity can attack your finances: a job loss, a gambling problem, poor investments, or mounting debt.
All of these forms of adversity could combine and leave you feeling completely overwhelmed on all fronts. For example, if you suffer a major medical problem, you may be left with massive medical bills, creating financial adversity. This could impact your marriage, causing divorce and leaving you with emotional difficulty. Then spiritual misfortune may follow, causing you to suffer attacks to your faith. This scenario is similar to the biblical story of Job, only instead of medical bills, Job first lost his children and everything he owned–which was substantial–and then suffered from a severe medical condition. Although his faith was severely tested, Job held on and made it through to the other side.
If you’re struggling with any type of adversity, I highly recommend you read Job’s story. Nothing puts life into perspective better.
So… What is overcoming adversity?
I thought I could overcome adversity with my strength, my preparation, my own will power. What I was trying to do was set myself up to avoid adversity, or get ahead of it enough to squash it with sheer might. I don’t want to have to endure the level of hardness and adversity that puts my life or the lives of people I love on the line. I don’t want to have to face conflict head-on or endure the hateful words and actions of destructive people. I’d instead create an alternate path for myself, stay positive, ignore the haters, and keep it moving. But sometimes you can’t. Sometimes you have to navigate a harsh environment. Sometimes you have to take a stand and be willing to endure the fallout.
For me, this is where faith gets real. This is where I have to get literal with my bible and understand that if those three Hebrew boys had to go into the fire, I might have to, too. But guess what? They came out unharmed and didn’t even smell like smoke.
Isaiah 43:2 says, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
Staying positive through adversity doesn’t mean you have to ignore the reality that surrounds you, nor do you have to grin and bear it. You can be aware of the negativity, even bothered by it. You’re human, after all. But you are staying positive means you purposely choose to override the sorrow, anger, and fear with faith. It means you take control of the emotional turmoil adversity may cause you, counteracting it with your words and thoughts.
If you see the possibility of adversity ahead, you should always do your best to prepare for it and equip yourself with as many resources as you can to endure hard times. But do not allow yourself to become consumed with this. The moment you detect that fear is driving your actions, stop, and pray. Meditate on scripture that helps you override that negative emotion.
What is the synonym of adversity?
Some synonyms for adversity include affliction, difficulty, distress, hard times, hardship, misfortune, suffering, and trials.
What does God say about adversity?
Ecclesiastes 7:14: “In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.”
Proverbs 24:10: “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.”
Proverbs 17:17: “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Isaiah 30:20-21: “And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”
What does it mean to overcome adversity?
To overcome something means to prevail over it. So in the face of hardship, rather than suffer defeat, you become victorious. You win. In the process of overcoming adversity, you will grow tremendously, and the strength you gain from that win can fuel you to future success. Envisioning yourself defeating the situation you’re in can be a great strategy, as well. Picture your future with great success. Visualize yourself more energetic, wiser, and better after having gone through the problem.
How do you respond to adversity:
- Be aware of your emotions as you are processing the information you’re taking in.
- Pray. Ask God to increase your discernment and show you any hidden motivations you may have.
- Be quick to repent for anything you know you’ve engaged in that goes against His word.
- Become intentional with your thought life. Bring your emotions under submission to your faith by speaking the word over your fears and doubts.
- Avoid the temptation to interact negatively with people who cause a threat to you. Trust that God is your deliverer. Your faith in Him will shield you from their fiery darts.
More blogs to help you overcome the challenges of life and athletics.