Training Day...

In the Army we use to say, "Train the way you're going to fight."  In a training environment you'd be put through hell so that when the time came when you truly need courage and strength you'd be able to draw upon those resources that would get you through your situation.  In my obsessive days of triathloning and marathoning I would literally push myself to near collapse so that anything race day could throw at me I'd be ready.  If I hadn't pushed myself so hard putting in all those miles in the pool and on the road the physical and mental challenges on race day would have certainly consumed me.

As we all move through life we may experience from time to time severe hardships.  Most of the time we look back on those experiences emotionally and physically scarred, usually harboring feelings of anger or resentment.  The unfortunate thing is that we miss the most important lesson of those experiences and that's the acquisition of strength.  Now I know we've all heard the phrase, "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."  It's an overused statement intended to help someone recover from a horrible situation.  It's really come to mean that you merely survived a difficult time in your life and nothing more.  At no time has anyone ever said, "Well, this experience has certainly strengthened you for other things to come in life."

Think about this.  After the suffering we've endured other difficult events have come along and in our minds they didn't seem nearly as bad as the one that nearly crushed us.  But imagine if you hadn't had that one really bad experience.  Imagine how much more difficult those subsequent events may have been for you if you hadn't had the opportunity to grow and become stronger through that one horrible experience.  Trust me I'm not saying we need to go out looking for trouble.  Trouble definitely has a way of finding us.  But hopefully when the
day comes and while in the depths of your despair perhaps you might entertain the thought that the event, as horrible as it may be, is a training day for you.  Perhaps it's intended to help strengthen you for other things life will be throwing at you.  

Hardships will present themselves to you and you will be beat about the head and shoulders but in the end you WILL find yourself still standing.  At that time remind yourself you didn't just survive, you conquered.  You emerged victorious and gained great personal strength through it all.  You will find that the more life throws at you the more you can take and the stronger you will become.