Staring Into The Face of Adversity
I’m looking through the rundown, a list of stories that I’ve put in the newscast, and it isn’t pretty. It’s another rough stretch of reporting the news in the DFW area and the nation:
Headline:
19 elite firefighters killed when Arizona wildfire suddenly changes course and they’re trapped.
Headline:
FBI helping with investigation of a child found wrapped in a tarp and dumped in the middle of the street in Saginaw, Texas.
Headline:
3 people, including a 10 year old and an 8-month pregnant woman shot and killed in east Fort Worth. 1 person arrested.
You get the picture. It’s enough to make a person want to hole up in the house and not come out. Ever!
But, I scroll down the rundown of the newscast and come to the story and the in-studio interview of Ryan Parrott. He’s a retired U.S. Navy Seal who survived an IED blast. He was burned along with other members of his team. But, he didn’t retreat from his adversity. He founded the group “Sons Of The Flag”, helping other war veterans who have been burned during war get the help they need to recover physically, mentally and emotionally from their wounds. Hope.
After the newscast, we taped another interview for this week’s series called “Profiles Of Courage”. Fiske Hanley was shot down over Tokyo Bay. He was one of two members of his 10 member team to survive only to be held as a POW for the remainder of World War II. His vibrancy and charm at the age of 94 was infectious. Encouragement.
Last night, I talked to our news anchor Doug Dunbar about an interview he had conducted with a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. This member of the military has an incredible story of surviving a firefight with the enemy in Afghanistan AFTER he lost part of his leg. Fortitude.
What decision are you going to make when you come face to face with adversity? When life deals you something unpleasant are you going to run and hide? Or are you going to come out swinging?
“Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have see the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful,” James 5:11 (ESV).
Ah, Job. Here is a faithful follower of God and the unwitting center of the battleground of the conflict between our Lord and Satan.
This man was going about his daily business when he’s hit with one tragedy after another. His livestock were either killed or taken in a raid. His servants, save four who came and told him what happened, died. His seven sons and three daughters were killed in a violent wind (like a tornado).
At what point would you, or I, have thrown in the towel and said ‘that’s it’? Job’s response was simple. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord”, Job 1:21 (ESV).
God allows Satan to change the rules and up the stakes in this standoff for one soul. Job is directly attacked with various ailments.
First, his wife’s faith is shaken. “This his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.’” (Job 2:9) Then he is questioned by friends. Surely you’ve done something to offend God, they wondered.
Job is alone in this fight. His children blown away. His wife and friends questioning his faith. What would you do if you were in Job’s condition?
Annoyed, angry and finally a streak of sarcasm, Job doesn’t yield to what would be the easy temptation of cursing God. He’s got questions, of course. However, his focus remains on our Lord.
“As for me I know that my Redeemer liveth, and at last he will stand up upon the earth: And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed, then without my flesh shall I see God,” Job 19:25-26 (ASV).
There’s so much more to the book of Job. The depth of God’s wisdom to work out complicated situations and trusting our Creator. It’s worth an in-depth study in your private studies.
To wrap up this devotional thought, there’s a simple question for each of us to consider and answer through our words and actions.
When you stare into the face of adversity, how are you going to respond? Give up or push forward?
Hope.
Encouragement.
Fortitude.
We can learn a lot from God’s faithful servants and from the stories of those people who cross our paths every day.
Stewart McKenzie works as a producer for CBS11. When he is not working he can probably be found on a golf course.
Our family worship guide takes a look at the encounter between David and Saul found in 1 Samuel 24. I hope that it is encouraging to your family – Week 27 – David Spares Saul
“He’s got questions, of course. However, his focus remains on our Lord.” Love it! I think we need to remember that God is big enough to handle our questions! He knows we are going to have our moments, and even when we completely fall down, “the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). God knows that stumbling and falling are part of the equation, they are a reality even for the one walking in the light. That’s why His blood is always there, so we can get back up, accept the cleansing that His blood offers, and keep on going.
I love stories of adversity – like the stories of Ryan Parrot and Fiske Hanley; like the story of Job – that end in overcoming defeat and turning misfortune into opportunity. The difference between those guys and anyone else is not that some face adversity and some do not. The difference is what you do with your adversity.
Thanks, Stewart, for sharing these inspiring stories and reminding us that we can find hope, encouragement and fortitude all around us, if we will simply open our eyes and see it. Thanks, Jon, for your continued faithfulness, and for sharing your “Dad is Learning” adventure with the world.