Finding the joy to overcome adversity

It is frustrating when things do not go our way. No one is ever ready for unexpected events that can easily derail our day, if we let them.

Go outside to crank up the car and nothing happens. Out of the blue the battery does not work and now you have to jump it off. And if that does not work, you know there is a more serious problem that has to be addressed. I have never seen anyone shout out, “Oh what a beautiful morning,” when this occurs.

Walk over to the kitchen sink to retrieve some water for your pet and nothing comes out. That’s an empty feeling. 

Wake up in the middle of the night because you stomach hurts and you are being summoned to the porcelain throne in the bathroom and you cannot understand why because you did not feel bad before going to the bed.  I’d rather be doing a prep for a colonoscopy than having a stomach virus. At least with the prep I know why my stomach is upset. 

Pick up a phone that was working fine a few minutes ago, and the next thing you know the only call you can make is to 911. Or, have a storm come through – wintry or hurricane – and too many nearby trees fall and take out the power.

I have had all of these scenarios happen to me during the last 24 months. They are never fun to deal with. There was certainly no joy dealing with these and other times like when my vehicle battery died without warning.

It is funny how my car can tell me that it is cold outside when the temperatures are around the freezing mark, and inform me that my tire pressure is low approximately two miles after I have pulled out of my driveway on the way to church or work. 

These are all inconveniences, and no matter who we are, we will have to deal with one or more – sometimes at the same time. 

Last week I wrote about my phone breaking down and going three days without a phone that could receive or make calls. One person told me to enjoy it. They wished their phone would do something similar. And while there were frustrations, I knew a new phone was on its way.

The day after my phone was fixed, I had an issue with my car. Great! Got one thing fixed, and now it is something else that will cost to get corrected. Of course, I was not planning to put money into my car. 

But like I have heard multiple times from superintendents or city or county officials at various meetings I have covered throughout the years, these unplanned things happen and we have to deal with them.

I am reminded of how we should look at these challenges in James 1:2-4: “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

It is hard to find yourself seeing the joy when things are not exactly going right. But our current circumstances are always changing. If it is bad, it will be right again at some time. 

On Jan. 18, we woke up to news that snow would be hitting our area in a few hours. Before I knew it, our front and back yards was full of that white stuff called snow. This continued until right about lunch time. For those who loved the snow, they got to see it fall nicely from the sky. For those who rather not see it – or don’t care – the sun came out that afternoon and melted majority of that white stuff before the moon popped up. 

For the last two weekends we had to be aware of the possibility of snow or ice. We’ve seen the predictions and came to a conclusion to what we needed to do to stay safe. And after the storm passes, hopefully, it was not as bad as advertised. 

When Hurricane Helene barreled through our lovely state, it left a wide path of destruction. Where you lived determined how long the power was out. Many people had to rough it out, waiting for the electricity to return. Hardly any joy during that dismal period. 

But the joy returned as soon as the hum of power came flowing through the house again, meaning life could slowly return to normal.

Bad things will happen. As long as we are breathing, thank the Lord above and try to find the joy.