Overcoming Adversity

Adversity is anything bad situation that comes your way. Everyone is affected in some way or another by adversity. Adversity comes in all names, sizes, and strengths. They come as health adversity, marriage adversity, work adversity, spiritual adversity, growing up adversity, and more. Everyone is affected by some kind of adversity at one time or another. Adversity pulls no punches and will hit you at any time. The Bible is also filled with people that have gone through adversity and have overcome adversity. The first person that I can think of is Joseph. How about Job, Moses, David, Peter, Paul, and also Jesus. Can you think of a time adversity has hit you very hard? What did you do? Think of how you handled it? What kind of adversity was it? Did you learn something from it? To overcome adversity you must first make a choice: (1) Play the victim or be a winner? (2) Follow the victim mentally or lead by example. (3) Stay in the victim mode or help others to overcome. (4) Have a pity party or ask God for help to overcome this obstacle. (5) Cry victim and look for pity or give back to the community and give Glory to God. Everything is a choice in life. Things happen and things happen to good people and also bad people. That is part of life. Trials and tribulations and adversity are part of life. In John 10:10 NKJV says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” There are 2 people that want your soul and your life, one is Satan and the other one is Jesus Christ. There is a fight for your life and soul it is good vs evil.

When I started putting this book together I thought about all the people that have inspired me throughout my life. I thought hard and diligently, and I would like to dedicate this book to the memory of a wonderful and special person, my friend Michell Merhige. This young lady was tragically killed by a drunk driver in Juan Les Pins, France on June 7, 2009. The world will never be the same without her, but her memory lives on. Michell was a very special person, who touched hearts wherever she went. She always made you feel special like you were family. She overcame many obstacles in her life and rose up to make a difference in this world, instead of being a statistic. She never complained about her past but used her past to build her future. Michell left her legacy in the hearts of her family and friends. She was a success in all she did. She made the world a better place by being the wonderful, loving, caring person that God made her. She was a relationship person with a heart of compassion who made you feel special. Michell knew how to overcome. She was a success, despite her tough times in her younger years. She overcame neglect, rejection, abuse, loneliness, homelessness, & much more. Growing up in an orphanage didn’t stop her. She made a positive difference everywhere she went and with everyone she met. All who knew her loved her. She knew how to make people feel special. She was one of the most compassionate people I have ever met. I am a better person because of her. Michell was my friend and to keep her memory alive in the hearts of young ladies, I will donate a dollar of every book sold to the Michell Merhige Scholarship foundation. For more information please visit www.michellscholarship.org Please visit her page and if God puts in on your heart please donate and make a difference in a young woman’s life. Hope you take time to read his aspiring journey of Butch’s life through his poetry. During his recovery he started to write a journal. In his journal Butch noticed that some of his writing came out in poems. Each of his poems represents something that he went through on his way to recovery. Through adversity, Butch started writing and helping people go through tough times. Writing helped Butch heal and get stronger spiritually. As you read his book let his inspiration touch your life. If it wasn’t for this time of adversity Butch may have never written. Sometimes going through tough times brings out the good in us. Please take time to read this poetic account of the life of Butch Dias.