A Hard School
Bill Wilson went on his first expedition to the Antarctic in 1901. And it was a difficult life. But listen to these words that he writes in his diary on page 103:
“I am more thankful than I can say for having been brought to this life because it is such an education. But God knows it is just about as much as I can stand at times, and there is absolutely no escape. I have never had my temper so tried as it is every day now, but I don't intend to give way. It's a hard school down here, but I wouldn't have missed it for worlds.”
When You Feel Stuck
A hard school, indeed. Imagine being stuck in a small area with the same few people for literally a few years in bitter cold and winds and blizzards without much food. But simply doing the job that you're supposed to do.
Maybe that doesn't sound too unfamiliar to you. He was actually doing it out in the South Pole, but maybe you find your job to be unbearable at times. You find your circumstances, your situation to be, as Wilson said, about as much as you can stand and with absolutely no escape.
It’s All About Attitude
Well, Wilson's attitude really teaches us something today. He said he's thankful for being there despite the difficulties because it's a school. It's an education. The lessons he's learning in the difficulty are worth the difficulties. Quite an attitude to have in such a situation.
And perhaps this is an attitude that you and I need to adopt, especially when things start getting tough, when we're not getting along with our coworkers or our family. When tensions run high, when rations run low, when things aren't quite going the way we’d like, can we, like Wilson, see the difficulties as opportunities for growth? Can we say “I don't intend to give in. Even though it's a hard school where I've been placed, this is where I'm supposed to be. And so let me do it with all my might.”?
I pray that today will be a day like that for you. Whatever it is you're facing, that you will see it as an opportunity, as a lesson.
