Finding your purpose in adversity

English writer Somerset Maugham once wrote a story about a janitor at St. Peter's Church in London. It was discovered one day that this janitor was illiterate - a fact he had concealed for some time. So the young vicar of the church fired him.

Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a small tobacco shop where he began to prosper. So he opened another shop… and then another, until he finally had a chain of tobacco stores that made him very rich.

One day while looking over their finances, a banker asked him, "Can you imagine where you'd be if only you could read and write?"

"Well," replied the man, "I'd be the janitor at St. Peter's Church."

Adversity plays a part in almost every big success story. That's because it's not until we're faced with tough times that we learn, grow, and find ways to move forward. This is especially true in the Christian life, where hard times often drive us to our knees in desperation just before we see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So instead of seeing your hardships as a curse, treat them as an opportunity to learn and grow. Let God use adversity to shape and mold you into a more devoted and mature follower of Christ!