When Adversity Strikes…

How do you feel when you hear negative criticism of your generation? It fills headlines: “Gen Z is bringing a whole new vibe to the workplace: anxiety” (Business Insider). “Gen Zers yearn for ‘lazy girl jobs’” (Fortune). “Younger generations’ lack of resiliency raises concerns for all ages” (SC Times).

Some of these articles are reporting trends of those born between 1997 and 2012, while others are outright complaining about you and your peers.

Every generation has its stereotypes: Generation X were labeled slackers, the Millennials were entitled, and now Gen Z is unable to handle adversity.

Of course, you cannot generalize an entire generation, but that does not mean these labels do not stick. And it can be annoying to hear comments about how you and your peers are weak, soft and utterly incapable of handling hardship.

That all said, you still need to learn how to overcome adversity. Without challenges in life, we would have no opportunities to learn and improve.

Adversity is an integral part of Christianity. The Bible says that even Jesus learned from suffering: “Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8).

How you handle hardship is an indicator of the strength of your character. Proverbs 24:10 states: “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”

At first reading, this verse can sting. If you give up when hardship comes, you are a quitter and a wimp. Ouch!

In this verse, the Hebrew word for “faint” can mean to “cease,” “slacken,” be “idle,” “slothful” and “weak” (Strong’s Concordance). This describes someone unprepared for challenging situations. When one faints, he is actually quitting—simply giving up.

The second half of the proverb, “your strength is small,” describes the size of our strength when we decide to give up in a time of adversity. The Hebrew word for small here means “pebble” or “narrow.” In this case, the person who faints has strength as small as a pebble.

But this verse has another purpose. It can help you diagnose where your weaknesses are so that you can build up your strength.

The New Living Translation states it this way: “If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.” So it may be “too small now,” but you can act to ensure that does not happen again.

Read the first part of verse 10 again: “If you faint in the day of adversity.” The word “if” shows we have a choice when faced with difficulty. While we cannot decide when adversity may come, we do have control over how we deal with it.

So how do we prepare for hardship—and ensure we have the strength needed when it arrives?

Hardship Measures Strength

All teens experience challenges and setbacks in one form or another, often involving social relationships, awkward physical changes and figuring out their personalities—what are their likes, dislikes, future careers, etc. Youth also face temptations involving alcohol, drugs and sex.

Yet all of these challenges can yield benefits if handled appropriately.

Everyone has experienced a difficult situation or knows someone who has. Adversity, in its most basic definition, is a difficult situation, condition or tragedy. It could be peer pressure, health issues or even the loss of a loved one or friend.

During these circumstances, a person’s strength and character are measured. Some respond to such challenges with courage and strength, while others withdraw and wither away.

An example of a teenager facing difficulty and reacting with courage occurred at Ambassador Youth Camp a few years ago. During the zip-line activity, one teen felt uneasy because he was afraid of heights. During the first two or three passes, he stayed very close to the center of the landing platforms that were high off the ground. He practically bear-hugged the tree for safety. As he continued, he decided to embrace the challenge and began to gain courage and confidence. By the end, one would have never known that he was afraid of heights just moments prior.

This individual stuck it out and never gave in. Facing his fears helped him realize that he was more capable than he thought. This encouraged him to tackle future fears in a similar fashion. If he had not chosen to overcome, he would not have known his true capacity.

This example demonstrates that embracing experiences that seem difficult and persevering not only gauges our strength, but also gives us confidence to handle future challenges.

Welcoming Challenges

No one naturally looks forward to hardships. But standing up and facing them can have enormous benefits. As you overcome challenges, you grow in resilience, strength and knowledge over time.

For example, if you play on a sports team or in a music ensemble in school, you will be faced with many challenges, whether a hard-to-beat team during a game or performing a solo in front of a large audience. Devoting extra time to practice for such games or performances will ensure that you not only improve, but that you also succeed when the time comes.

Exercises such as push-ups, running or sit-ups allow your muscles to endure resistance. Think about how you build muscles—they only grow in strength and stamina when they are tested and pushed.

Mental challenges include receiving correction or learning a difficult skill. When faced with these scenarios, determine not to shrink away.

A former U.S. president stated: “If you live long enough, you’ll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you’ll be a better person. It’s how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.”

Do not misunderstand. Not every adverse situation you encounter will have a positive outcome. There will be times when you have difficulty handling problems or you make poor decisions. The key, however, is to learn from those experiences and never give up.

At the very least, the places where you falter will help you identify weaknesses in your life, which you will then be able to address. As mentioned in the proverb, the key is to not “faint in the day of adversity.” We cannot avoid trying times, so we might as well make the most of them.

With each difficulty you overcome, you will gain valuable knowledge while growing as a person. With each obstacle you do not overcome, you will still be able to learn and apply lessons to the next challenge. On the other hand, those who faint during adversity will only allow themselves to become worn down.

The next time you encounter adversity, remember Proverbs 24:10 and face it head-on. By doing so, you will be able to use that experience as a steppingstone instead of feeling defeated and crushed. You will build strength and perseverance that will set you up for success in life.