Ernest Hemingway once said: “The world breaks everyone. And afterwards, many are strong in the broken places.”

When we are going through adversity, it is not always possible to believe that everyone suffers loss and heartache. It feels and acts very personally when bad luck and bad life experiences happen to good people.

Our first response is “Why me?” We can ask ourselves if we did something to deserve this punishment or problem. We may resent others who are not suffering and wonder why the problems did not choose them. We can even add up all the bad, selfish and dishonest things a certain friend or acquaintance has done and yet still has good health and a big bank account.

That’s not fair

Life is not fair. As a mother of six children, I tried very hard at Christmas so that the gifts were even for everyone. No matter how many times I counted and then made lists and then counted, on Christmas morning during the riot of presents, paper, and toys, I would realize that I hadn’t been fair. Someone had bought a watch that was worth twenty dollars and someone had bought a bracelet that was worth three dollars. Someone had gotten exactly the doll she wanted and someone else had gotten the one that was in style last year.

We finally decided to acknowledge and joke that no matter what we did, it was never going to be even. But the joy was that you knew the chances were good that one day it would be your turn to get exactly what you wanted. We often recited the battle cry of large families and preschools around the world; “You get what you get, and you don’t launch an attack.”

luck or life

Life is full of luck and also of changes and opportunities. As Ernest Hemingway said before, we are all broken in some way and it is the broken places that make us strong.

Bad luck is described as an unforeseen event, a fluke, and yet good luck is described as prosperity, wealth, windfall, success, advantage, gain and triumph, happiness, and blessings. Many times it is by chance that opportunities for growth and development come to us. When we seize the opportunity to grow through loss, injury, and adversity, we will be stronger and more resilient. I know this to be true, because I have experienced it in my own life and in the lives of countless friends and family.

questions to think about

1. Do you consider yourself lucky or unsuccessful? Why?
2. Have you ever said “That’s not fair”. Why?
3. What do you think about when bad things happen to you?
4. Can you look back on your life and recognize how a certain situation helped you grow personally and spiritually?