Walking through adversity is life indeed

Suffering to smile

Eight years ago today, I handed over the keys to my home of 10 and a half years to a young couple who in the tailwind of the global financial crisis bought it for 75% of the what I paid for the place. It was my castle until cancer came and took away the means of my sustaining that life and lifestyle. It was a dip or maybe a depression in an otherwise successful life, but that was not my first encounter with adversity.

Blog - Thought Picnic: It's Goodbye to Oostelijke Handelskade 1121

As I left, I was given a whole house to stay in for two months, rent-free, then a young Indian family took me into their abode for another month and a half before they helped me back to the UK. I was living a part of Psalm 23 that was not comfortable but still life-affirming. I was walking through the valley of the shadow of death, the way from one area of green pastures beside the still waters to another known to the shepherd.

I do not fear adversity

There were days I did cry at what was happening to me, but I did not despair, like the Prodigal son, I decided the Netherlands had no more to offer me and found it best to return to the UK. Within 6 days of my return, I had an exciting new job, having been out of work for 20 months.

I was like a prophet in the wilderness, yet, ravens came with sustenance and angels in the form of men heaped into my bosom. Amid nothing, I lacked for nothing, the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

When I read my story repeatedly, I have had plenty and had little, it is life as a story that is in no way ordinary. I am not afraid of adversity for it is the road to prosperity when the sheep have exhausted the plenty they need to be herded to new pastures. There is no guarantee that getting there would be devoid of dangers, in fact, it is fraught with the unseen and the unknown, only courage, confidence, and determination can get you there.

Steady into eddies

I reviewed the past two years and found that my turnover in the last year was 51% less than the previous year. I had the security of a contract, but no assignments I could bill. I listened to the sweet tongue of managers who promised much and delivered little. My business suffered and, in the end, because they had nothing to offer, we parted ways.

Just as things were looking up, I fell ill and it took almost a month to regain my strength. Then the Coronavirus pandemic took hold, people were losing their jobs, getting furloughed and living in despair. These were the worst conditions in which to look for work and even if you did get any, you could not be expecting good rates either. That is how things looked on the face of it.

Suddenly, green pastures appear

I was walking through another valley of the shadow of death, keeping my nerve not to fear any evil and continuing in the assurance that the Lord my shepherd is always with me, comforting me that this also shall pass because we need to pass through the wilderness, valleys and dangerous places to get to green pastures and still waters anew.

Yet, dire as things seemed, pressures coming from all sides, bills mounting like mountains with sheer cliff faces you can never attempt to scale. I get a call, and without interviews, just a discussion and they liking my CV, I’m in a new job retaining quite close to the rate I had before.

Nothing I could have planned or negotiated, it was a table prepared before me in front of the enemies of my soul weighing anxiety and adversity heavily on me, still, I triumph with my cup of joy, victory, and prosperity running over. I am conditioned to expect plenty in the time of famine. The circumstances around me do not determine the outcomes I intend to enjoy.

I am a story to be told of life, that we must traverse many things, but never lose hope; we will encounter adversity, but that is not the end; we would come through it all by means that we would never be able to explain apart from knowing that we are destined to have goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives.

Psalm 23 (KJV) [Bible Gateway]