Hug Adversity

I remember the night, and it was something. I was living in a one bedroom apartment, had left my job for medical reasons, and went out to my favorite place in Austin, the Barnes and Noble Bookstore at the Arboretum, for a quiet time and for inspiration. 

I was in the middle of a difficult time, and needed to be somewhere that inspired me. I had a somewhat good night there, just reading online stuff and working on a free blog I had started. The night was winding down, and I knew I had to leave---I didn't own a car--- I relied on the public bus to get me around, wherever I went (God bless the public bus and their drivers).

As I made my way around the book shelves on the second floor toward the escalator that would carry me to the ground floor, I saw the book look at me. I turned in its direction and got a better look. “The Gift of Adversity,” the title read. I had seen the same title as the caption for a video of one of my favorite athletes, Tom Brady of the NFL's New England Patriots. I took the book and hugged it. 
 

I didn't so much need to read the contents, for the title said it all. Adversity is a refiner, and for those who understand it, it's a blessing. I was in the midst of mine, and though it was hard, I was thankful.

Adversity either indicates that something is wrong, and needs to be fixed; or change is happening.

I didn't know which one I was in, but it gave me a chance to learn so much about myself, and life. It also led me to this writing I am doing now. After I left the job, I realized I needed to do something that I was really passionate about, something that used the best in me. But this was not easy to figure out.

As I sat on a bus one evening---headed where I don't now remember---I felt a strong urge in my spirit to share what I have with the world. It was so strong this urge, and I knew  I need to find a way to do it. In my post last week, I talked about my reasons for starting the blog, and what it's for, but this urge got me to write the first sentence.  Looking back, I know it was God's prompting.

Working on this blog has been one of the most joyful things I have done in the last year, and I am still learning of the potential for good that it could have on other people's lives and mine. 

And knowing I started my blog during the same season I hugged the book the "gift of adversity,"at the bookstore, in the midst of my difficulty, it's clear that even in the darkest of times, His voice is still present.