Adversity

Adversity. It isn't a topic that many people care to dwell on, yet I have been pondering it. In my quiet time, I came upon Proverbs 17:17. It is fairly well-known: "A friend loves at all times." But wait, that's not the end of it. The verse goes on to say, "and is born, as is a brother, for adversity." I read the words over and over again, letting them sink in. A friend loves at all times, and is born, as is a brother, for adversity. And I thought about how often we dismiss the well-known verses, or just take parts of scripture, possibly out of context, for our own purposes {but that's a post for another day :) }

The word 'friend' is used so flippantly nowadays. We have hundreds of friends on Facebook and other social media outlets. Unfortunately, many of these so-called friends are merely acquaintances, but we confuse the two. And there are also those who may be closer than simple acquaintances, but they are only interested (able?) to walk the path with us as long as everything is sunshiny and happy. But, there are friends that are to be family to us, especially in times of adversity. God bore them for us.

What is adversity exactly? Adversity is a state, condition, or instance of serious or continued difficulty. Some synonyms are distress, disaster, calamity, hardship. Adversity is serious business, and to some extent we all will experience it to varying degrees.

But it can be so complicated, really. And who wants to see me all broken and soul laid bare? Who really wants to continue speaking God's truths tenderly to me when I am all crazy with hurt? Who wants to help uphold me when I unable for it is all heavy? It's simple, God's family does. For some reason, however, it can be so daunting to allow others to be the family that we so desperately need. And then I see it on the page from the very next chapter in Proverbs: "A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart." (Proverbs 18:1-2)

Oh, how I have been a fool in the past. I have wallowed instead of reached out; I have lied instead of sharing when asked; I have isolated myself instead of allowing God's people to minister to me. I have even been annoyed at people who attempted to reach out to me, convincing myself that they really didn't care and couldn't understand. I missed the whole point of community! And by doing these things, I made everything so much worse. I ended up holding onto the pain and letting my thoughts become so skewed. Because it has to be both ways, doesn't it? We have to be family to others and allow others to be family to us. Oh, and it is a broken family and we love with an imperfect love, but the patriarch of our family is the Father of all grace. And that's enough to cover us as we walk hand-in-hand down the roads of adversity.