Photo by Sam Showalter – Photo graphic by Laurie Harris, SMORE Supporter

Related articles: Education is Key, Baby Steps to College

Education opens doors.

For me gaining a Master’s Degree was not only an adventure it was a confidence booster of the best kind. I took one step at a time until I found doors opening.  I like the illustration of the Israelites carrying the Ark of the Covenant across the river. Notice the sequence of how it happened.

After forty years of wandering through the wilderness in pursuit of God’s promise for a better life, God’s people finally are going to get to cross into the Promised Land. God gives Joshua directions explaining what was going to happen. They were to cross the Jordan river during its flood stage and enter the land of Canaan.

You might think this is not a whole lot different from when the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, but it is. When Moses parted the Red Sea, the winds blew all night and there was a path through the sea. In this case God’s leaders had to physically step into the before the water stopped flowing. Notices the scripture says:

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground (Joshua 3: 14-17)

The question is- are you willing to face the challenge, maybe even the adversity, that may come? Are you willing to get your feet wet?

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face. . . we must do that which we think we cannot.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Adversity can be a booster in your life. It can lift you to a higher place and propel you on.

Adversity is something we all want to avoid. We don’t like to see our children or others we love face adversity. And yet, it is only by handling resistance that our muscles become strong. Accepting the adversity and moving forward can and often does improve your future.

In Adversity Advantage, Erik Weihenmayer  says,   “All worthy ascents begin with coming to grips with where you are, so you can move forward and up.”

What makes this so significant a statement is that  Erik climber all seven summits and – Erik is blind.

Gail raised three children as a single mother before she remarried. She has experienced the potholes, pests, and perils of being the single head-of-household. As an educator in regular and special education for twenty years she knows a great deal about child development and how to handle kids. She is the founder of SMORE for Women, a nonprofit whose goal is Single Moms, Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, and Empowered. She is a Certified Professional Coach and her stories have been published in several Christian books and magazines. Her book, Living Learning Loving is available on CreateSpace, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble online.