There is a common expression – “whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” The origin of this expression can be traced back to 19th-century German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche who wrote “Out of life’s school of war—what doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger.” That simple, yet profound thought has been tweaked, modified, and appropriated by various platforms over the years for good reason.
It is a real-life observation of one of life’s greatest resources.
Another similar catchphrase is “no pain, no gain.” You might hear that referencing physical conditioning or sports training. The foundation of either of those expressions is the same – an affirmation or acknowledgment of the positive impact of a stressful experience on future events. In short, surviving a stressful experience builds a resilience, much like an illness can help the body develop a tolerance that would prevent a future ailment. Just as importantly, surviving that stressful moment gives us the tools to be the support for the next person as they struggle.
So, what has this to do with faith? Much more than you might imagine. In fact, these experiences can provide another element of proof of Devine planning.
No one has a life free of stress. Throughout a lifetime, we all have to deal with those stressful moments or experiences. Sometimes those moments might seem intolerable, yet somehow we get through them. Death of a loved one, disintegration of a relationship, financial hardship, serious illness – all of these things can happen in a lifespan. And all of these things have something in common – survival and growth.
Much like the memory of physical pain, the pain of these stressful moments diminishes with time. This is not to deny the immediate impact of those moments. At the time, we might find ourselves drawing on reserves of strength that we did not realize we had. At the time, we might suffer immensely. Over time, however, we become distracted by the business of living a life, until, eventually we recognize that we have overcome that stress and emerged stronger than before, stronger than we believed ourselves to be.
In our times of greatest pain, we might pray for relief, and it seldom comes the way we might wish. We might have more success if we prayed for strength to cope. We might also reflect on our past struggles. Once we recognize that we have survived and conquered all those past challenges, we might realize that our prayer for strength has already been answered over the course of our lifetime.
Perhaps God anticipated our need and gave us past struggles to help us build our defenses against future trials.
Still, we might question – why would a loving God allow us such torment? Perhaps the answer is that we cannot appreciate joy without the contrast of sorrow. We cannot appreciate the light without experiencing the darkness. Perhaps our struggles and our pain are part of God’s plan to mold us into future residents of a heavenly realm, fully prepared to experience and appreciate the ultimate joy of that existence.
Help Wanted.
If you find comfort and inspiration in the messages contained on this website, you can help support the effort to spread these simple messages of hope and faith. The author of these weekly posts has compiled much of this information into a single source, available either as a Kindle book or in paperback form. Your purchase of either of these will help support the continuing spread of these messages. Thank you in advance for your support. Click below to view this offer on Amazon.