Sermon Central
-
Adversity
Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014 (message contributor)
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.”
- Mary Anne Radmacher
Sometimes life deals us a situation so adverse, a loss so great, we feel unable to meet the challenge of facing day after day in our pain and loss. I remember in 2003 when our family lost first my older sister and then a nephew just two months later. It seemed the tears would never end. We felt unable to walk day by day confronted with such intense grief and sorrow.
One day life seems fine and everything is normal and the next thing you know, it throws you a curve ball and you are knocked completely off balance. How do you face each day now? How do you get up tomorrow morning and walk through each hour in agonizing pain and still function? Will you always feel this way? Will the pain ever end or just continue forever? Few of us could bear the thought of living the rest of our lives in such torment. Those facing a divorce, the loss of lifelong dreams, the loss of a loved one, or a debilitating illness have stood and stared at the giant question mark face to face. How do I get through this? Can I get through this?
Opportunity may only knock once, but adversity has a lot more patience. It can knock for years. All the more reason to learn how to handle it when it shows up knocking on our own door.
It is a battle between fear and faith; our fear that we will always feel so miserable or faith that time will ease the pain and our tomorrows will be better than our today.
John F. Kennedy said in a speech in 1959, “When written in Chinese the word "crisis" is composed of two characters - one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.”
Crisis, or severe adversity, does bring with it opportunity of one kind or another. Adversities such as divorce bring with them new beginnings, a chance to reinvent one’s self, to embrace a change of scenery, to do things you never considered doing before. A job loss brings the opportunity to explore possible career changes, a change of location, new skills to learn.
Instead of focusing on our misery and our loss, we must rise up and look crisis square in the eye, look for any new opportunities in our situation and move forward. Just one step forward. After that step we contemplate the next step, always keeping our eyes on hope while turning our faces away from our distress.
Excerpted from Sidewalk Flowers, Vol. 1
Copyright © Glynda Lomax
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
Our Faith In The God Of Creation Is Not Blind Or ...
Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Jan 16, 2007
Our faith in the God of Creation is NOT blind or without reason. As Believers we don’t need to fear looking at the evidence around us. Allan Rex Sandage is the leading Observation Cosmologist in the world by pretty much all accounts. He spent his career quantifying the expanse of the universe, ...read more
-
Whether We Are A Minister, Worker Or Believer We ...
Contributed by Tony Abram on Dec 31, 2006
Whether we are a minister, worker or believer we need to love the Lord and the way we prove it is to serve Him. To serve Him is to do His Word and to do His Word we must do his work and all of us that are saved by ...read more
-
Charles Sykes Is The Author Of Dumbing Down Our ...
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 6, 2007
Charles Sykes is the author of DUMBING DOWN OUR KIDS. The following is a list he created for high school and college graduates of things he did not learn in school. In his book, he talks about how the "system" may have created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and set them up for ...read more
-
A Roman Catholic Priest […] Was Making His Way ... PRO
Contributed by John Shearhart on Feb 8, 2007
“A Roman Catholic priest […] was making his way down [an] alley to his parked car, [when] a man suddenly emerged from the shadows, thrusting the muzzle of a revolver into his ribs demanding, ‘Hand me your wallet!’ Offering no word of protest, the priest immediately began to comply. As he reached ...read more
-
Surf Torture PRO
Contributed by Tommy Hames on Oct 12, 2005
ILLUSTRATION The U.S. Navy has a Special Forces team called the SEALS. It takes a lot to become part of this elite group. One of the many physical challenges that SEALS in training must complete is called “surf torture”. Basically the entire class must wade into the surf zone to their waist line ...read more
Related Sermons
-
5 Reasons Jesus Chose Fishermen
Contributed by Chris Miller on Feb 6, 2019
There are a few reasons 7 of the 12 first disciples were fishermen. They were not chosen by accident. They possess skills every Christian should strive to possess.
-
Being Courageous (Updated 1/13/20)
Contributed by Dennis Lee on Aug 3, 2017
A sermon looking at our need to be courageous for God as found in God's word to Joshua in Joshua 1
-
God Will Fix It For You
Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 7, 2017
Using Psalm 107, this sermon explores how God's love is expressed to us in the context of our troubles in life; then, how worship is birthed in our hearts out of these experiences.
-
Be Strong And Courageous
Contributed by Joel Sumagaysay on Mar 2, 2013
In like manner we can enjoy the protection and comfort during the time of trouble when we stay comforted by the presence of “Rock of Ages” which is Jesus Christ. If Christ is for us who can be against us. He is the source of strength and courage.
-
Be A Barnabas - A Light Of Encouragement
Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Nov 10, 2015
Encouragement means coming alongside and inputting courage. Where courage has faded away, encouragement is the putting back or refilling of courage. The leaders of the early church gave one man, Barnabas, the nickname "Son of encouragement".
