Ashley Mwanza

CONTINUING from where we left off, this topic which is a carry-over of the previous article is particularly inspired by Georgina Motoboli. Having joined a music school she was reminded that no matter how good she was she would have to be dismantled (sic) if she wanted to make it. So criticism is fundamental if perseverance is to finish its work, so that you may be mature, stronger and complete.

The journey of life is one that can be multifaceted, but we have to know that at this juncture (whatever situation you may be in) that there is a long, arduous road ahead; there are great mountains that we have yet to brazen out. Even as the global economic crisis took its toll on most citizens of the world it came as a relief to some as it helped to break us down for us to see with new eyes and realise what mattered most. Our response, then, is to glean lessons from previous victories to guide us in present confrontations.

Today, battles continue to be fought. The ferocity of struggles we wage within and outside are crucial in the resolution of our future. We should not vacillate in the fulfilment of such vital phases in our lives. These are lessons for us and they strengthen us in our resolve to fight, to resist and win. Some may beg to differ but suffering is absolutely inevitable, it is a refining period. In one way or the other we have suffered and or we will suffer, depending on your definition of the ‘concept.’ As I mentioned in the article Patiently Persevere! that if we are presented with a situation we can choose to capitulate or patiently face up to the long arduous fight till we victor. Nelson Mandela was refined in prison, he was broken but it was in the same place that he was rebuilt and came out the more stronger.

Some may have heard this story before but, more than a hundred years ago, a lonely, poor boy from Germany went to the US. His first job was for $4 a week as a helper in a tiny store in Ohio. Since the owner allowed him to sleep at night in a big packing case in the store without paying any rent, he was able to save $1 a week. His next job at a bank paid him $8 a week. Here he slept in a loft over the bank office and continued to save all he could.

One day he saw some musical instruments for sale that reminded him how he and his friend back in Germany used to make such instruments. So he sent his life's savings of $700 to his friends in Germany and had them ship a supply of their instruments. The first shipment sold very quickly. He sent for more and was on his way to becoming a successful businessman.

The business this boy started eventually manufactured such musical instruments as pianos, organs, music boxes, and player pianos. It became a multimillion dollar business. The boy's name? Rudolph Wurlitzer. Chances are, had this boy not started out lonely and penniless, he wouldn't have achieved what he did. His difficult circumstances generated the motivation that made him successful.

Life's like that. Difficult times, economic hardships, business setbacks, sicknesses, sorrows, heartbreaks, criticisms, and crises come to all of us at some time. When they do, we often feel like we've struck out and failed. However, the only real failure in life is not to get up one more time than we've been knocked down.

The Chinese have two meanings to the one word "crisis". One means danger; the other, opportunity. How right they are! In every crisis there is a danger of being defeated or the prospect for growth. In ancient times people used an instrument called a tribulum. It was used to beat grain in order to divide the chaff from the wheat. It's the word from which we get our word "tribulation." In the development of human character it's tribulation that divides "the chaff from the wheat."

It is human nature to want to escape or run from suffering, but doing this doesn't help us grow and sometimes we learn too late that what we escaped to is worse than what we escaped from. Unfortunately, we rarely change or grow unless we are hurting sufficiently. This is why James wrote in the Bible, "Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4.

After a long winter, spring eventually comes and with it new leaves appear on the trees in all their refreshing beauty. In the summer they thrive. In the fall they die. But in dying their beauty is greater than in the spring. But the tree doesn't die. The falling leaves just make further growth possible. And that's the cycle of life-struggle, pain, beauty, growth.

Apparently, in his later years, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the famous French painter, suffered badly from arthritis. On one occasion his close friend, Matisse, questioned him, "My friend, why do you keep on painting when you are in so much pain?" To which Renoir thoughtfully replied, "The pain passes, but the beauty remains!"

Be sure to invest your pain. Don't waste it. Invest it wisely in your own growth and in the growth of others. Remember, because he was in prison John Bunyan wrote his literary masterpiece, Pilgrim's Progress, and through rising above her severe handicaps Helen Keller became a great inspiration to millions. We are all survivors in one way or another in this life. Each of us have suffered, been in pain, strayed, or been hurt in one way or another. Each one of us have our own precious story to share. Grief can change us in a lot of ways. If we let it drag us down, if we dwell on it for too long, we will not survive. We are greater than our circumstances. Progress is not brought about by force but by taking small steps towards positive change, patiently we can overcome our brokenness and emerge the stronger. Difficulties and obstacles, if properly understood and used, can turn out to be an unexpected source of strength.

Whatever you do, don’t shut off your pain; accept your pain and ‘remain’ vulnerable. However desperate you become, accept your pain as it is, because it is in fact trying to hand you a priceless gift: the chance of discovering, through experience, what lies behind sorrow.

Say to yourself: ”I am not going to run away from this suffering. I want to use it in the best and richest way I can, so that I can become more stronger, wiser, compassionate and more helpful to others.” Suffering, after all, can teach us about compassion. If you suffer, you will know how it is when others suffer. And if you are in a position to help others, it is through your suffering that you will find the understanding and compassion to do so. We must be broken down to be recreated, to become better people, for our sake and for the entirety of humanity. Life is changing, the world needs to change and we must be certain that the future will be better for everyone.

If there is one point I could drive home, it is, remember that not all blessings are wrapped in beautiful packages.