What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Stronger

Yesterday, we had another wonderful sing-a-long at the front yard of Tim and LaDonna Gatlin Johnson. Still assembled in our 6-foot rule spacing, we clapped and sang together to some of the best old hymns. Tim, an incredible pianist, gave us a concert in "Liberace" style!

Most beautiful were the testimonies of God’s amazing grace. Tim touched us with his story of surviving cancer in all of his lymph nodes many years ago. Tim and LaDonna became stronger in their faith and trust in God’s faithfulness more than ever before. What didn’t kill Tim, made him stronger.

I can speak a similar story – through the illnesses of my children, myself, and my husband’s illnesses and passing – I became stronger than I ever thought possible.

Pictured again here is the after-shot of the tornado that my father and mother-in-law went through. What didn’t kill them made them stronger and even greater good did God do through them. That property was sold to a young couple. She saw my blog and commented: “Thanks for sharing the pictures. I especially recognized the after-tornado picture. Since then, that property has been home to over 100 foster children in DHS, home to 7 different family groupings needing a safe place for a season, home to International Bible University, Westport Gathering and our home where we have raised our family including two grandchildren now. So appreciate and love the history your family established here. Love all of you.”

The quote: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" dates back over 100 years ago to Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher. He believed that if one can persevere through the difficult times and trials of life, the end result can often be a strengthening of character and endurance.

But I think it goes back even further. The Apostle Paul explained it well after he and his friends had endured horrible events like being whipped 29 times, beaten with rods, and left for dead after being buried under a pile of rocks: "We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us. We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We often don't know what to do, but we don't give up. We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

The people I respect most have not had easy lives. They are the people who faced adversity and didn't give up. They were transformed by grace. It's really not what doesn’t kill us that makes us stronger, but God’s grace in the face of our struggles that makes us stronger. And through that grace, in the most difficult of times, we find endurance. And in that endurance, we find character. And it is that character that gives us hope.

This unparalleled COVID-19 season has been a rough time for so many, but those of us who are resilient in these times will come out stronger than we’ve ever been before. I’m counting on hearing story after story of the determination of those who kept their faith intact and the grace of God that made them stronger, wiser and more grateful than ever before.

The Power of Adversity

I’m taking a little “Nana” moment to celebrate my grandson’s winning 1st Place in his Original Oratory Speech at the NCFCA National Championships this weekend. Out of 1000s of students from 45 states, competing in 65 preliminary tournaments, 500 students made it to Nationals. Payton's win is truly a tribute to his diligence, hard work, and relentless attitude. The win comes with scholarships offered and afforded him the opportunity to deliver the speech after the competition to over 1,500 people. I was blessed to be able to watch it LIVE, thanks to technology! I am always a proud Nana of my grandchildren, and this just added another notch on my “pride and joy” belt. Beyond the pride, however, was the speech he gave that truly described his own story of overcoming adversity and helping others to realize that adversity can be a friend to those who recognize God’s way of building our character and our ability to overcome and come out as a conqueror.

“The Power of Adversity” was the topic of this speech. In it, Payton talked about the tension and adversity that we encounter and the more we experience, the better the trajectory of the potential of success in our future. He used the analogy of his Toys R Us bow and suction-cup arrow, as a child, which did well to kill his “refrigerator bad guy”, but it paled in comparison to the real bow and arrow that his dad bought him, set the tension to Payton’s ability and he soon learned this arrow could fly three times further because of that tension.

He went on to point out world changers and history makers like Thomas Edison whose teachers said he was too stupid to learn anything. And, Abraham Lincoln who failed in business, marriage, politics and suffered the loss of his two sons before becoming the President of the United States. Every adversity these leaders experienced increased their patience, their knowledge and their ability to create history. Payton quoted Walt Disney “All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

Payton went into his own story of adversity. In the same year: his Papa died from cancer, his dog died, and he was being bullied at school. He said, as he pointed out his thin body, “I’m not the most athletic kid but I sure wanted to play football and fit in with the other guys.” Instead of helping him, they bullied him and the abuse only got worse and the verbal hatred got louder. The words spoken over him replayed like a broken record in his mind – “too skinny, you’ll never amount to anything, you’ll never be good at anything”. With many hilarious, self-deprecating moments throughout his speech, his message was clear: "When adversity comes, like the storm that came up while Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat, let it be that storm that takes you to the other side”.

Payton’s speech resonated with me too. We all have defining moments that either make or break us. Whatever those moments are, God will use them for our good. Our destiny and purpose are wrapped up in each and every adversity that comes our way. It's that "stuff" that causes the aha moments -- those moments that seemed like the worst of worst times but were actually the turbo boost to propel us to where we were meant to be. The times of adversity either make us stronger and cause us to have the "warrior mentality" or we succumb to the pressure and throw in the towel and have the "pull-the-blanket-over-the-head mentality". One makes us stronger and leads to success and the other causes us to quit and leads to failure stories. They're either stories that said "I pushed through to victory" or "I gave up and quit. IF ONLY....I had persisted." From Abraham Lincoln to Thomas Edison to Payton Wallace, great leaders and achievers push themselves beyond the point of failure and take a step back to re-evaluate why they started the journey in the first place. Even when their body or mind told them to quit, they dug deep and pushed through the adversity.

My parting paragraph is Payton’s final words from his speech. I pray these words to speak to your heart:

“I don’t know what you’re going through today. Maybe you’re facing financial adversity, a broken relationship, or even if you’re just like me….you look in the mirror and you feel inferior and worthless. Jesus is in the back of the boat with you. He has a way of using every adversity and every difficulty to propel you to the other side of your breakthrough. Now, personally, I’ve grown to fight greater enemies than my refrigerator and I know that God uses every adversity in my life to prepare me and propel me to become a leader worth following. The same is true for each and every one of you. Adversity is not your enemy. Tension is not your foe. Instead, embrace it. Peace isn’t the absence of adversity. Peace is the confidence in knowing that all things – even the seemingly worst things -- work together for good when you put your faith and trust in God.”

The Warrior Mentality

We all have defining moments that either make or break us.  Whichever they are -- God will use them for our good.  Our destiny and purpose is wrapped up in each and every one of them.  It's that "stuff" that causes the aha moments -- those moments that seemed like the worst of worst times, but were actually the turbo boost to propel us to where we were meant to be. Most of the time, those defining moments come as adversity.
The times of adversity either make us stronger and cause us to have the "warrior mentality" or we succomb to the pressure and throw in the towel and have the "pull-the-blanket-over-the-head mentality".  One makes us stronger and leads to success and the other causes us to quit and leads to failure stories.   They're either stories that said "I pushed through to victory" or "I gave up and quit.  IF ONLY....I had persisted."    From Abraham Lincoln to Steve Jobs to Michael Jordan, great leaders and achievers push themselves beyond the point of failure and take a step back to re-evaluate why they started the journey in the first place.  Even when their body or mind tells them to quit, they dig deep and push through the adversity.

That's what our annual Unstoppable Summit is all about.  This weekend, once again (8 years in a row), incredible, die-hard leaders from all over the country have come together to re-evaluate, re-focus, re-ignite, re-enforce and re-mind ourselves that we are warriors who are on a daily mission to accomplish everything God assigns us to -- all for the purpose of making the difference in people's lives.    I loved it yesterday morning when we were talking about the "warrior mentality" of strength, courage and determination.  Warriors don't fear combat -- in
fact, it causes them to rise to the challenge.  They are on the front line with their trusted comrades and strongly value both courage AND loyalty.  Warriors are distinctly solid and physical, ready for action.   Today, Staci brought out a sword that had been given to her by her pastor because he said he saw her as a warrior.  She asked Anthony Abron​ to demonstrate his warrior voice.  In his big, booming, boisterous, strong and authoritative voice he belted out his interpretation of a warrior's offensive, protective, determined cry.....AND, it shook the house.  That cry/yell would certainly cause the enemy to run in terror.  And, isn't that what our attitude toward the enemy should be?  Not a wimpy, woe-is-me, pitiful attitude and cry, but one that causes the enemy to flee.

Almost as if on queue, a knock came to Larry & Staci's front door, it was Pastor Keith Craft (their pastor and,(by the way -- a complete surprise to all of us).  He wanted to show us his Team Strike Force's new meanest, baddest, AWESOME F650 truck.   "Now that's a WARRIOR'S machine!" Team Strike Force was founded by Pastor Keith Craft 28 years ago -- with the purpose of conducting school assemblies to motivate and encourage students with doing what's right.  They are Christian bodybuilders who wow crowds with their feats of strength.     That's "Warrior Mentality".  Being tenacious, committed, passionate about doing the right thing and helping young people become warriors who do the right thing too.  

Isn't that the warrior mentality we all should have when it comes to standing up for what's right and doing what's right -- to take all life with passion and purpose and dig in deep to declare war on ANY and EVERYTHING that tries to stop God's assignments?

American Ninja Warrior -- Thinking Outside the Box

Please don't judge me....I love the show "American Ninja Warrior"! I watch it while I'm in warrior mode on my treadmill (I tape the show to get each episode). I watch these people pushing their bodies beyond human possibility. They rigorously train for a year to become the "American Ninja Warrior". In 5 seasons, no one has won, yet the show has proven to be the best reality competition series ever. The competitors have their athletic & mental skills tested beyond limits in the crazy, and seemingly impossible-to-conquer obstacles. Though in 5 seasons, there has been no winner, there will be. I promise you. Olympians, professional athletes, rock climbers, runners and everyday folks -- men and women of all ages and backgrounds -- train for their one shot to compete, many of which end in mere seconds on the first obstacle. So what's the appeal?

Sure, a $500K reward is a factor, but hearing the stories of the people that overcome adversity for their cause and goals is the most amazing. Whether they're doing it for an ill friend, a mother with breast cancer or whether it's their own personal achievement -- weight loss, beating drugs or alcohol -- and it's something that we all can identity with.

Last week, I saw many veteran competitors try to win over one particular obstacle, the cannonballs -- where they had to lunge toward the hanging ball, hold tightly and lunge to the next ball. One by one, the veterans failed and fell into the water. Then a rookie, Kevin Bull, successfully made his way through all the obstacles and then it was his turn to defeat the cannonballs. I watched as he went outside the box, by thinking of another way to get it done. He swung to the last one -- and not with his hands, but his feet and conquered that obstacle. He won't be the last -- there will be others that will conquer that obstacle, too.

Wasn't that like Roger Bannister, the first to conquer the 4-minute mile, and now high school athletes can run the 4-minute mile. What are you willing to achieve by thinking outside the box? What are you willing to do to accomplish your goals? I don't know about you.....but watching the relentless determination of these warriors sure makes me want to give my ALL -- physically, mentally, and spiritually to use what God has given me....to conquer any obstacle that comes my way.....and even do so, sometimes, by "thinking outside the box"!

You Can't Cross the Ocean if You Don't Leave the Shore

Yesterday, I posted our "dead-in-the-water" ship experience. When we boarded that ship, our thoughts were for making yet another great memory, enjoy some needed rest and adventure. Our minds never gave way to "What if we meet with disaster?" We "trusted" that the Captain and his crew would steer us to the pre-planned ports and journey they advertised, and in several days, at the end of our trip, we'd go back home.

But, what about Christopher Columbus -- when he set sail -- not knowing what the future held for him and his crew? Chris was a dreamer and visionary who could see beyond the status quo. When brilliant minds were teaching that the earth was flat, good ole' Chris stretched his faith by leaving his comfort zone (the shore), and ventured out into the unknown. And, just think about it, he didn't have the leading edge technology that reports obstacles, weather, and other vessels, that mariners have today. And, athough he faced every adversity imaginable, he didn't give up until his dream was reality. Indeed, his faith and determination paid off. And Chris certainly gave us some valuable lessons to learn from:

1) We shouldn't play it safe by living in our comfort zone. There's some pretty exciting adventures out there -- so why live with regret?
2) We should ignore critics and seek God for wisdom to claim new territories.
3) We owe it to ourselves to set sail and discover God's will for our lives.
4) We must defeat our fears to be able to find the "treasures" that God has for us to discover.

Isn't it time for us to leave the shore.....and take on a great new adventure that just might be the discovery of a great new relationship, the dream job or opportunity we've been looking for, or the invention we believe could bring in a "boatload"??

Our Chief Surgeon!!!

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Those are the words (God's words) that rang in my heart many times in the last 2-1/2 months since first receiving the news and diagnosis that Ron, my precious husband of 43 years, has renal cell carcinoma cancer and that he was facing the risk of paralysis if we did not immediately have a tumor that was compressing his spinal cord removed. That surgery, on April 12th, was very successful! Then we learned of another tumor that was in another vertebrae and, subsequently, had cyber knife radiation to destroy that tumor. Of course, the main tumor culprit was in his kidney, so this week, that surgery took place.

Ron's sister, Karen, gave us this beautiful picture of Jesus guiding the surgeon's hands. That is the mindset we've maintained throughout this journey. Prior to each of these surgeries, Ron has held the hands of the surgeons and prayed that God, our Chief Surgeon's hands, would be directing our surgeons' hands. And with each surgery and procedure, we believe we are moving one step closer to total healing. As I said at the beginning of this blog, finding that place of peace -- not fearing the path that laid before us, but trusting God for His unfailing plan to be in place in our lives has been our focus. That has been our coping mechanism during these times of uncertainty and turning to that place of peace and rest only found in trusting God and His unfailing Word. That peace is really….undescribable, but explained best in scripture…..Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." And Jesus Christ said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27.

Today, June 24th, we're still in the hospital as Ron recovers from the surgery on Tuesday (June 22, 2010). Two surgeons removed his gall bladder, right kidney and adrenal gland. Two immediate prayers were answered for us as all this was done laproscopically -- 4 small incisions instead of open surgery -- which means a shorter recuperation period. And we are at the new Oklahoma Heart Institute -- a division of Hillcrest Hospital -- not because of a heart issue, but because of God's favor to have a beautiful, new, private room and receiving excellent care. The pain from the surgery is gradually dissipating, dear friends are bringing us communion daily, and the prayers and encouragement of our faithful and loving family and friends are what is giving us the extra boost to "finish strong"!!!

Words we heard today: "Adversity causes some to break....and others to break records!" We're going for the gold and expect to break a lot of records!!