Creating pearls from your problems

Last week I wrote about the power behind embracing your problems, that if we grab hold of them rather than hiding or running away, we have so much to gain.

Today I am sharing stories of folks who did just that so as to illustrate a glimpse of the possibilities that are available.

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A husband falls ill, again, with a condition he has been fighting for years. The medication is not doing its job this time, and he is admitted to the hospital. While the wife spends time with her husband, helping, encouraging and loving him, she also meets with the staff assigned to his case to learn all she can about treatment and the possibilities for the future.

During these meetings she becomes aware that there are needs not being met in general for folks who have this condition. She has many choices at this point: to be overwhelmed and negative, to be angry at her husband, to be afraid for their future, to turn from God, to go hide her head in the sand and just hope that it just goes away.

Instead, she grabs hold of that difficulty-those unmet needs-and sees opportunity. A decision is made and plans formulated, and the wife is strengthened by her resolve to change her career path to work with and for patients like her husband so that she can help them lead more satisfying and productive lives.

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A young woman is in need of a job, as she has been out of work for some time. Tiring of applying to full time jobs that just don’t pan out, she answers an ad for a per-Diem position in a dining room in an assisted living facility. She is hired, and although her mom is only mildly encouraging-Oh, honey, I thought you were looking for something that would bring in a steady income-she is glad to be working again. She cheerfully and efficiently goes about her duties, and within two weeks is offered a full time position.

The young lady is excited about her good fortune and not only does her job with good humor and professionalism, but offers to do whatever else is needed and reaches out to help others too. Within six months she is made Dining Room Supervisor, and two years later is promoted again, this time as the Admissions Coordinator. This hard worker concentrated on how she could serve others and help to make their lives better by taking the grit that formed the bumps in the workplace, and used it to shape a smoother path for everyone.

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A twenty-something couple learns about a better way to manage money, and wonders if perhaps they can apply those lessons to their lives to rid themselves of their debt: their car and student loans, which total approximately $40,000. They decide that being more intentional with their money will ultimately bring them to a better place where they can begin to save for a big down payment on a house.

Budgets are written and money is directed in greater amounts towards the loans. Time flies by-just a few short years-and the young couple celebrates complete and total debt freedom. The newlyweds took the pain of that mountain of debt and used it to fuel their passion for a home of their own.

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We all have gritty, irritating problems in our lives. While we would probably just like to walk away or to wash our hands of them, generally that is not an option.

I am reminded of Galatians 5:22-23, and what we choose to do with what we have:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

What we need to do is to recognize the problems for what they are and especially for the treasures they can become.

Take those pieces of grit and start creating your own string of pearls with them, one beautiful, lustrous, unique, gem at a time.

Today’s challenge: What difficulty do you need to embrace and what kind of treasure can it become?

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Image credit-Omar Bariffi