Hardship: Part 1

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

For years I hated this verse—strong language, but true. I’ll tell you why in a bit. But first, hardship. We all face hardship in life. They can provoke those dark winters of the soul: doubt, fear, uncertainty, rage, bitterness. And in the end, they also provoke our greatest growth. That was certainly the case for me. I wouldn’t be where I am in life now if I hadn’t experienced seven dark and difficult years.

In recent research around leadership development, hardships were ranked as the number one factor that helped prepare people for leadership. (For more on this, check out Rodger’s recent post on Adversity and Growth.) It ranked higher than challenging work assignments, mentors and relationships, education, and every other factor of leadership development. Maybe James was on to something.

So what is it about hardships that so effectively prepare us to be leaders? Hardships crystallize our faith. They allow us to discover unknown wells of courage. Going through something really challenging can help build clarity around what we want out of life—or what God wants for us. They teach us to persevere even when we are weary beyond belief. And all of this builds strength.

In the next few blog installments I’ll share with you my most bitter hardship and how God used it to make me a new creation in him. Powerful stuff, and I would have given anything at certain points in my life to change it. Until then, think about your own life. What hardships have you faced in the past? What did you learn from them? How have those hardships helped to shape you into who you are, and where was God’s hand in all of that?

Stay tuned.

Post by Meredith.
Image by superfantastic.

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