Adversity That Advances Our Potential

I know as of this writing, many of us are going through various hardships.  My prayer is this finds you well and you find peace while keeping your eyes on Jesus.

Stress That Strengthens Us

In September of 1991, a group of scientists entered what they called the “Biosphere 2.0.” 

They intended to see if life on earth could be transplanted and/or transported elsewhere in the solar system. 

Biosphere 2.0 was a tiny representation of everything Biosphere 1.0(aka Earth) had.  

Inside the glass enclosure, there was a small simulation of an ocean, a desert, a forest, and just about every other terrain you can imagine.  

The creator’s of Biosphere 2.0 also made room for people to harvest crops. 

The original experiment turned out to be a colossal failure. As the months went by, the crops the scientists plan to live off of, wouldn’t grow properly. In order to survive, scientists had to bring food from the outside world thereby defeating the original purpose of the experiment.

Despite setbacks, the experiment did yield a wealth of information as to what makes Biosphere 1.0 so great. 

One of the main reasons crops inside Biosphere 2.0 were unable to grow was due to a lack of wind.  

When the plants inside the experimental area grew tall enough to bear crops, the plants themselves were not strong enough to support the crop they were intended to bear such as corn.  

As soon as the corn cob began to grow, the supporting stalk would slump and begin to grow on the ground.  

The same turned out to be true of all fruit bearing trees.  The branches never had the strength to support the fruit it bore.  

Scientists discovered that without the wind blowing against the branches the wood that supported the structure of the trees quickly became weak.

The scientists termed the need for wind, in order to develop healthy plant, “stress-wood”.

Without the stress of the wind, plants are unable to bear crops, trees are unable to bear fruit. 

Laws Of Nature As Seen In Scripture

Just as God uses the wind to bend and build stronger trees, God also uses trials, struggles, and even tragedy to bend and build stronger children.  

Just like the Israelite nation, there is often a testing period before we enter our Promise Land. 

If Jesus Himself did not enter public ministry without being tested in the wilderness for 40 days(Luke 4:1-13), don’t be surprised when a few trials come your way. 

Application 

The stress God has been allowing in your life may be what is  preparing you for a bigger future!

If you’ve asked for God to grow you, don’t be mad when adversity answers.  

God does want to bless you. 

God just cares so much about you that He cares more about what’s in your heart than what’s in your hands. 

Remember, He is cheering you on. 

God is absolutely able to heal your hardship, but on many occasions God is calling for us to endure hardship.