When you come through a tough situation, it makes you feel stronger and bolsters your self-esteem and self-confidence. It is not fun when you are in the midst of the struggle but when you come out the other side, it is like you are better for having gone through it.

As a parent we all wish we could keep our children from ever having to experience the struggle part, but we can’t.  It is like watching a baby bird break out of its shell. If you feel sorry for it and help break open the shell, while your intentions are good, many times the little bird will not live. See, they need to go through the hatch process and fight to get out because it makes them stronger and ready to face the world. If you help them, they miss what they need to learn.

Three decades ago, I went through a financial situation that I thought would never end. I had purchased some fast-food restaurants and got deep into financial trouble. It took me eight years to pay the money back and put the difficult season behind me. Looking back, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, but it made me a better man, father, husband, hotel broker and Christian. It took almost losing everything to really appreciate God’s favor when you see it. If I had not gone through that time, I wouldn’t have learned many of the things God needed me to learn. One thing is to never take life for granted and two, put God first place in all you do.

When you come through a tough period, it may sound strange, but you are proud of yourself. To many this may not sound like a big deal, but it is a big deal. It gives you a new identity and purpose in life. You will find that the first person you need to respect, is yourself. It has been said that the greatness of a house starts with the first cornerstone. Well, when you go through a struggle and come out the other side, you have laid the important cornerstone for your life. Self-respect.

When you look at the world today and see the chaos, most of these people never got to the point where they had self-respect. They don’t know how it feels to be proud of themself and to live upright. It angers them to see other people who have self-respect, and it causes them to try and take that away. These people are really lost and lonely because they have built a fake house with no foundation.

If you are going through a situation, the best advice is to simply keep going until you come out the other side. If you have recently gone through a situation, never lose the feeling of gratitude and gratefulness. They will keep you humble which is one of the most endearing personality traits a person can have. KT