I have a graphic saved on Pinterest that says, "When God wanted to make a king out of David, He didn't give him a crown - he gave him Goliath. Your challenges prepare you for your purpose."
I recently read a book called Good Morning Monster which is a memoir written by a therapist named Catherine Gildener (I have a post in my drafts folder about some of the books I've read lately, so stay tuned for that).
In the book, the author writes about five patients she worked with during her career that had a profound impact on her. One of the patients was named "Peter" (I think she used pseudonyms), and he was severely abused as a child. He was isolated and locked in an attic for much of his upbringing. During that time, he played with a toy piano and discovered that he had an amazing gift for music. In adulthood, he was a prestigious pianist.
In one of their sessions. Dr. Gildener asked Peter if he would change his childhood if he could. Peter had realized that if he hadn't suffered the abuse and been locked away, he wouldn't have found the piano, and he wouldn't have discovered and honed in on his gift for creating music.
This, of course, doesn't make the mistreatment okay or justified, but it's an example of rising above horrible circumstances.
I keep thinking about this because I'm sure there are examples from my own life where a challenge has prepared me for a purpose. My brain just hasn't been able to deep dive on it yet because this week was INSANE (five dance concerts! FIVE!!! And we're not even that kind of dance people!)
I just wanted to throw this out there this Sabbath Day as something to think about. Has there been adversity in your life that prepared you for a purpose?
(I'll be contemplating mine)
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