Built by Adversity

Happy Thanksgiving from JP, the Guy with the Whys.

Strength through Adversity

In 2016 I was flat on my back. I had just lost my career. Notice I did not say I lost my job.

I had been working in the oilfields and living in Oklahoma at the time. If you have never lived there, Oklahoma depends heavily on the energy industry. And despite doing everything they could to avoid layoffs, my company had to make the choice. They had never laid off electrical technicians in their entire history, but this time they had to.

There were two rounds of layoffs. I made it through the first, but not the second. By the time I was let go, the energy downturn of 2015 and 2016 had wiped out almost every opportunity in the region. When that second round hit, my 14 year career ended in a single afternoon.

A friend offered to bring me on as a contractor doing software renewals for a local tech company. I knew almost nothing about tech, let alone software. Taking that job meant losing 83% of my income, but I had nowhere else to go. I had already dipped far beyond what my savings could carry, and this was the only way to go broke a little slower.

Mark Twain once said "The two most important days in a person’s life are the day they are born and the day they find out why."

This was not the day I discovered my why. But it was the day God set me on the path toward it. And before I could see it clearly, there were some lessons I needed to learn first.

Looking back, I realized this story was the third time God made me face the same reality. I kept tying my value to my income. Each time, life crashed hard enough around me to get my attention. And once, it even pushed me to question whether I could continue.

This time was different. I finally understood that God was teaching me something, so instead of trying to fix everything on my own, I surrendered it to Him. Even after losing so much, I knew He was in control. And when bankruptcy became a real possibility, I still believed He would pull me through. And He did. Putting my full trust in Him opened the path toward my Day Two.

Sometimes, the toughest seasons in our lives provide the clearest paths to discovering our purpose.

Have you ever gone through a season where life stripped something away that you thought you could never live without? It could have been a job, a relationship, or even the sense of control you always held onto. And in the middle of that loss, did you notice how fast everything that used to feel important suddenly fell out of view?

Adversity has a way of removing the noise from our lives. It forces us to reevaluate what we use to define ourselves. It shows us the things we hold too tightly and the things we never valued enough.

It is uncomfortable, but it is also honest. When we choose to learn from adversity rather than fight it, we begin to see things more clearly. Adversity becomes the refining fire that clears away the clutter, leaving only what truly matters. You gain a better understanding of your character, especially the parts that need to be strengthened. You start to notice the places where God has been waiting for your attention.

In the moment it just feels painful, but looking back, those are the seasons that start to shape direction. Adversity creates space to notice what God has been building in you long before the struggle began. It may not be pleasant, but it is honest. And honesty is where purpose begins to grow.

When you look back on the hardest seasons of your life, you discover that adversity was doing more than just testing you. It was shaping, positioning, and preparing you for something you weren’t ready for yet. And while every story is different, there are a few things adversity consistently develops in us that point directly toward purpose.

Adversity gets you ready to pursue your purpose.

Hard seasons stretch you in ways comfort never will. They build spiritual, emotional, and mental strength. Think about the times you survived what you once thought would break you. Those moments were training, not punishment.

Adversity realigns you.

Closed doors often feel like failure, but many of them are God’s way of protecting you from paths that were never meant for you. A lost opportunity, a rejection, or even an unexpected change can be the turning point that places you exactly where you need to be.

Adversity builds compassion and connection.

Pain allows you to feel sympathetically for the struggles others are going through. Some of the most meaningful conversations, ministries, and callings are born from wounds God healed. Your endurance can become someone else’s encouragement.

When I look back on that season of loss, I can see something I could not see then. Losing my career was not the end of anything. It was the beginning of everything God had been preparing me for. That setback pushed me into a field I never expected and uncovered passions I never knew I’d have. It was the pressure that shaped the trainer, the leader, and the man I am today. It set me on the path toward the work I love and the vision I now have for my future.

The same can be true for you. The adversity you are facing right now might feel overwhelming, but it may also be the very thing God is using to guide you toward the purpose He placed in you before you were born. Hard seasons expose what matters. They strengthen what was weak. They bring direction where there was confusion.

You may not see it in the moment, but looking back, you may realize that adversity was not taking something from you. It was clearing the way for your Day Two.

The next time you’re going through hardship, there’s one simple change you can make that will make the experience much different.  Instead of asking “why is this happening to me,” ask this instead. “Why is God making this happen for me?”

Until next time, stay WISE.