Perseverance through Adversity
The power of a strong wife. A common denominator during the icebreaker discussions about perseverance was the support we each received in times of trouble from our wives.
Nearly universally, even when our wife didn't fully understand the details of a work or career crisis, they knew this: "Do the right thing", "Don't compromise your Faith or your integrity", "I am here for you, however this works out."
Our spouses have been our ports in the storms of our lives, our rocks we stood on within the gales, our muses and our loves. Have we told them that recently? Maybe we should.
Prayer matters all the time, but especially in a crisis. A second common denominator of the icebreaker discussions was just how important leaning into our prayer life helped us through. When we are in dialogue with God, in a relationship with Him, we know He has our backs. We have joy-confidence in the future-- even when may not have "happiness" in the moment.
And in the (corrected version) of The Agony in the Garden, we were reminded that prayer is about discerning God's will for us, and confirming our will to His, rather than the opposite. Sometimes, the answer we get back is the opposite of what we wanted, even sometimes it's the cross itself.
But if we trust God, that He loves us as a beloved son, we accept that cross in the knowledge that it will lead to the Good, even when we don't think so. Are we using prayer to discern God's will, or simply as a visit with Santa Claus?
In times of crisis, agapic love-- love turned toward the other-- can often help us re-focus and get through. In several instances, a key to getting through the crisis was focusing on others over ourselves, seeing the sacrifice as for them, and seeing the crisis through their eyes.
When we did this, the burden, ironically, got lighter and/or we got stronger.
Are we keeping our hearts and minds focused on the good of the other, or are we so focused on our own pain and sorrow that we decide to take a nap instead?
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