When Adversity Hits

[BCXR28]

When God created the universe, He said it was all good – the stars, the wildlife, people, our relationships and the work God blessed us with. But sin entered the world like a virus, infecting everything including our relationships – with God, with other people, with ourselves – and our work. As a result, we often experience work as hard and adversity as commonplace.

No one is immune from facing adversity, no matter how hard you work. Today, we’re going to look at two examples of people who faced adversity by leaning on faith – one from the Bible and one from today’s marketplace.

The book of Esther tells the story of a Jewish orphan girl in exile who becomes queen. Out of the blue, she received the disturbing news that a plan to destroy the Jews had been approved and scheduled. On top of that, the only way to save her people was for Esther to put her own life at risk by approaching the king without being summoned.

Celia Swanson was the first female executive vice president at the world’s largest retailer. She started her career in a department store and worked her way up, but not without a few bumps along the way. In one meeting, Celia made remarks that led the vice chairman to think she was not aligned with his vision. He asked Celia to step outside where he proceeded to ream her out in front of the trash cans! The vice chairman told her she had 24 hours to let him know if she was on or off the team.

Sudden adversity can cause us to react. We might either go into a state of shock and confusion, or jump into doing something unwise. And that’s just where our enemy, the devil, wants us. But we don’t have to bite. Jesus encouraged us by saying that we would face trials. But we can “take heart” that Jesus has already won the victory over the adversity, trials and challenges that are inevitable at work and in life through our faith.

Prayer

Father God, thank you that you will never leave me nor forsake me. Help me to remember to pause when adversity strikes and seek You. Give me the wisdom to respond instead of react. In Jesus’ name. Amen.