Adversity Will Come
Ever noticed how adversity always comes along when you’ve headed down the path of doing something great? Or something you’re supposed to do? Or something you’ve always wanted to do? Notice how adversity comes even when you’re just trying to do the “right thing?”
In November, not three days after I began NaNoWriMo, my right eye clouded over and became very uncomfortable. At first, I thought I was dealing with a case of eye strain since I had been spending a great deal more time at my computer writing. And while both of my eyes were hurting (that part probably was eye strain), the right one was worse. So after writing with one eye for a week, I decided to see an eye doctor and find out what was going on.
It turned out to be more than eye strain. According to the doctor, it was a condition called Uveitis (Wikipedia, but not for the faint of heart), which is an inflammation of the inside of the eye. My eye never looked as bad as the unfortunate soul who had to pose, Clockwork Orange style, for the picture at the link above, but it looked bad enough. And it was uncomfortable.
Worst of all, it was scary. I was just beginning to write seriously again, and all of the sudden I had some eye condition I’d never heard of before. The eyes are important for doing a lot of things, writing among them. So I did a bit of poking around online to learn more about this condition and see what I could expect.
Now, I haven’t dealt with many medical issues in the last several years, but one important rule I learned from this experience is this: never ever research your maladies online. As nice as the web is for learning everything about everything, there’s a reason doctors don’t tell us everything they know. Doing your own medical research is an invitation to find the worst possible prognoses and convince yourself that such is what’s in store for you. I had the mildest and most treatable form of Uveitis, but I managed to talk myself into thinking that very, very bad things were about to happen. I thought I was about to go blind, or that the eye doctor would eventually connect it to a brain-related issue, like a tumor. My mind went all over the place, and I was petrified.
In this state, all I wanted to do was let my fear breed more fear. I didn’t want to do much else, and I certainly didn’t want to write. That’s usually how these things work, I suppose. Our minds want nothing more than to dwell on the thing causing us adversity. To rail against it. To wish it away. But instead, we end up focusing on it to the determent of everything else. We become our adversity.
That was me in my fear, but only for an evening. The next day, I got up and wrote.1 I wrote to deal with my fear by ignoring it. And as it turns out, my fears were groundless. Other than not being able to wear my contacts, still dealing with cloudy and blurry vision and having to put two different drops in my eyes as many as ten times a day for the last two months, I’m fine. And the condition is almost gone according to my eye doc, who has happily collected weekly co-payments from me for the past two months.2
But the end result is far beyond the point, because the message I wish to send is not “don’t worry about your adversity and everything will always turn out alright,” because that’s a lie. Life happens. Sometimes adversity breeds victory. Sometimes adversity breeds adversity. In either case, adversity comes, and I would hope that I’d be writing this post even if my vision had taken a turn for the worse. Why? Because I believe that adversity demands the same response from us, regardless of what it is, where it came from, and what we fear is yet to come. Adversity is a signal to carry on.
Here’s what I mean: Should I think that it was a coincidence that I started dealing with vision issues mere days after beginning the process of writing my first novel and feeding my creative self again? Not in the least. I think that adversity itself is a part of becoming. Becoming the man, woman, husband, wife, brother, sister, father, mother, child, friend or employee you always wanted to and knew you could be. It’s a test, and an attempt to keep you from being that person. It comes early, and it comes often.
And you have two choices when faced with adversity. You can run and hide, or you can stay and fight. I’ve done my fair share of the former in this life, and still struggle with the urge to retreat, especially when it comes to matters that threaten my intense desire to be liked by anyone and everyone. That urge never goes away. But it can be diminished when we choose the other option. Staying and fighting turns adversity into opportunity. For an artist, it might be using adversity to inspire creation. For a parent, it might be using adversity to raise a child. For a friend, it might be using adversity to understand the pain of others for the first time.
For all of us, it can be us using adversity to understand ourselves and what we’re made of. And to remind ourselves that we do have what it takes. Adversity often has within it the seeds of our own improvement. More than just the success of facing the challenge itself overcoming adversity often directly molds us and shapes us into who we are meant to be.
I know that this isn’t anything you don’t already know, but maybe it’s a nice reminder. What’s more, it’s a message I needed to tell myself today. Adversity came to pay me a visit again this morning. It’s nothing serious. It’s not medical or physical. But it is real. So I choose again to stay and fight, and my return salvo is this post. It is my arrow in the heart of adversity.
I hope that you’ll stay and fight too. I’ll stand with you.
- Brandon
While writing this, I was listening to “Little Heaven” by Toad The Wet Sprocket
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- which the doctor affirmed was fine. I asked several times and he assured me that I didn’t need to do anything differently, aside from hoping that people wouldn’t notice my constantly dilated right pupil. [↩]
- I tried not to notice the phat gold chain and diamond-encrusted glasses he was wearing when I visited yesterday. [↩]
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January 5th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Brandon, your post rings true with me.
The backdrop of my life is warfare, opposition, adversity. I am often lulled into thinking that is not the case. Yet, the reality of the constant assault against my own heart and against my domain (family, home, relationships, work) cannot be denied.
As a Christian, I believe that this adversity is personified in the enemy of our souls, Satan, and his minions. I didn’t always believe this. But, the assaults have been far to personal and precise to not have originated with intentionality from some evil source.
As Eldredge points out, “What kind of a story is God telling? Every time that Scripture peels back the veil of reality, it reveals a world at war. Jesus coming in a manger was not gentle Jesus, meek and mild. It was open assault on the enemy’s camp. Furthermore, why has God decked the universe with [angels who are] the spiritual equivalent of the Navy Seals???? They are fierce, awesome creatures. What is the universal response to every human in the Scriptures who encounters an angel? They drop to the floor in dread fear.” [Paraphrased by yours truly from books and teaching series by Eldredge's Ransomed Heart Ministries.]
What I’ve learned is that the root of much of the adversity that comes against me is born of the jealousy and fear of our enemy. In my humanity, I bear the image of my creator. I speak of this in a personal way, but I believe this to be true of all humanity. The Scriptures are clear that we bear God’s image.
Moreover, I have received God’s favor through the work of Christ, not on my own merits, that’s for sure. This gracious fact is not lost on our enemy. He hates God as a result. One primary way he reacts to this is to try to hurt God by assaulting God’s image-bearers. Another primary way he reacts it to try to lull those image-bearers into complacency, to take them out the battle. Strategically, this makes them less of a risk.
We are not without defense against our enemy and his emissaries and his evil devices. Far from it, in fact. I have learned that even though I don’t fully understand the dynamic of how it all works, that the cross and blood of Jesus Christ give me more than adequate weapons and authority to pre-emptively assault the works of the enemy.
I find that when I routinely, verbally,and audibly plead the blood of Jesus over my family/domain and raise the cross of Christ over my life, that I am in fact exercising the very weapons against adversity that Christ has made available to all who call on him.
I know this must sound spooky to some. But, it has become my reality. The more I live like I’m in a world at war, the more relevant and useful these weapons become. Conversely, the less I live like I’m in a world at war, the more I am taken out in sniper-like fashion.
To some, what I am saying must surely sound like some form of religious paranoia. To those who would say that, I would invite them to join me for a cup of coffee, to see that I’m a mere mortal, just like them. Then, I’ll tell them the stories of the very tangible and routine assaults against my wife, my children, my work, my relationships and my heart. Out of respect for my wife and kids, I will not articulate them here. But, you know of them, Brandon.
These assaults can be discouraging at times. I can’t deny that. But, upon reflection, they embolden me because they are a telltale of how fearful the enemy must be, particularly now that my heart has awakened to his schemes and now that I’m going after him and his works proactively.
So, from how I see the adversity thing, my heart is resolute. I will face adversity. It sometimes sucks in the short term. But, in the long haul I will not be discouraged. I know that the level of the enemy’s hatred for me, in whatever terms one could choose to measure it, cannot exceed the level of the love that God has given me through Christ. Greater is he (God) who is in me than he (the enemy) who is in the world. That’s my reality. Know what I mean?
I’m not alone my adversity, either. I am my beloveds and he is mine. God has not abandoned me to some defenseless foxhole to hide out against the onslaught of adversity. He has given me effective weapons and the motivation to use them. Furthermore, he has told me to to not be afraid because he’ll be with me wherever I go. Those two facts embolden my heart every time I think of them, or in this case, write them.
Brandon, thanks for putting the yellow highlighter on this topic. As I click the Post Comment button, I do so with a prayer for you regarding the very thing that motivated you to write this post to begin with.
- Chuck
January 5th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Brandon,
I strolled by your blog by the suggestion of a mutual friend…Chuck B! I’m glad I did…the world of fear is no place to live and your words above bring that point to light. Keep fighting my brother and God Bless!
Jay Cookingham (www.strategicfathering.com)
January 5th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I am another friend redirected by CB.
This is where the Lord’s sovereignty means so much to me. There is nothing outside of his control that touches me or the ones I love. I may not ever know why he does what he does, but I do not doubt his love for me and so I will praise him whatever comes.
January 6th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Chuck,
I give you as loud of an “Amen!” as I can muster! Thank you for taking the time to share your heart and the Truth that moved you from day to day. I know all of the things you shared are true because I see them in you each and every day. I appreciate your words of encouragement and your transparency. Know that I stand with you as you do with me! And thanks for sending others my way as well! I appreciate that you feel I have something worthwhile to say
Jay and dirk,
Thank you both for taking the time to read and share your words of encouragement! I look forward to dialogging with you both more in the future. God bless you both!
- Brandon
January 7th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Before I forget, Toad the Wet Sprocket–good choice.
I applaud the working through adversity. God never promised us things would be easy or comfortable. In fact, I’m pretty sure He pointed us to the opposite. We should expect it because that’s what Christ dealt with.
I hope your eye continues to heal–I’m a baby when it comes to eye stuff. Last year, I had a problem with my left eye. It scared the beejeebies out of me!
January 7th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Heather,
Thanks, I do like Toad. Always good music.
And thanks for the encouragement. I’m at the tail end of the ordeal, and I am really ready for contacts again!
January 12th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Ah adversity! It can cause you to shrink and hide under the covers or it can cause you to pull yourself up and march on with a vengance. Having lived and been blessed in this life for so many years I have ridden the waves of adversity with the temptation of pulling up those covers but understanding that the Lord allowed that particular “season” in my life and it is for my benefit ( If I take the mindset to see it that way of course). What adversity has stormed through my life? Many I assure you (it comes with age) but one in particular rocked my world to the core and changed the lives of so many. I won’t go in to detail but I’m sure this will speak to your heart, Brandon, because you and your baby sis walked the road with me. Did I want to hide under the covers because facing the world was just too difficult? You betcha! BUT did I? You bet not! The evil one tried desperately to keep his talons in me, to bring me down, to turn my back on my creator but my stubborn nature (the fighter that I am) spurred me on. Oh I have many scars from the struggle, some that are not visible to the human eye, but believe me they are there. But through that HUGE life changing “adversity” that sat on my doorstep, I came out on the other side of that journey a much stronger, committed believer. God molded me, smoothed out those edges, put salve on the wounds, did surgery on my scars and presented me anew. WOW! What a ride, painful and bumpy as it was. I’m so thankful, so VERY thankful that our Lord carried me through that adversity. He allows struggles to come across my path because HE has such great plans for my life, for your life, for your sisters life! And OH MY GOSH what a blessing it is to watch you both grow in the grace, faith and knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ! “For we know that in ALL things God works for good for those who LOVE him, who have been called according to his purpose”. See that’s the key - HIS purpose, not our’s. We can’t truly understand his purpose but we sure can rely on the fact that he has one!!! So continue to be that mightly warrior for God. Look that adversity in the face and know that our heavenly Father has something truly spectacular in store for you on the other side of every adversity. Follow your passion because when our Creator made you he planted that passion in you for his glory!!! Continue to let HIS artwork shine on the canvas of your life!
February 12th, 2008 at 11:18 am
[...] good friend who has heard me talk at length about my journey to here and has stood beside me in the struggles of the last several months. The other is my wife, whose praise I crave like the very air I breathe. So yeah, feeling a little [...]