Like many of us, my husband and I have been spending more time at home. Instead of eating out, I have been preparing delicious homecooked meals. To make our evenings special, we share a bottle of sparkling cider.

Recently, after one of our dinners, my husband began to feel uncomfortable. At first, he thought it was indigestion. After taking several antacids, he realized the issue was more serious than indigestion.

Over the next six hours, my husband tried several home remedies to alleviate the pain but to no avail. Finally, at midnight, my husband asked me to call our online insurance nurse. After answering 20 questions, the nurse told me that it was either his appendix or gallbladder based on his symptoms.

So at one o’clock in the morning, I was driving my husband to the emergency room during the middle of a storm. A long night had turned into a long morning. Five hours later, the doctor told us the problem was my husband’s gallbladder.

As the doctor prepared to discharge my husband, he gave us a stack of papers and a prescription for the pain. He told us my husband needed to see a general surgeon to have his gallbladder removed. Over the next four days, my husband spent his days in a drug-induced sleep. Finally, we met with the general surgeon, who scheduled the surgery for the next day.

The next day we were back at the hospital for the surgery. As I sat there waiting, I was reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul, who reminds us in Philippians 4:8 MSG that, “you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious-the best, not worst; the beautiful not the ugly; things to praise, not things curse.”

Four hours later, the surgeon met with me to give me an update. My husband was in the recovery room. Praise God! The surgery had gone well; however, his gallbladder was in bad shape. Therefore, my husband needed to stay overnight in the hospital.

As they settled my husband in his room, I was finally able to exhale. For eight days, we were living in the middle of a crisis. As much as I tried to help my husband, the situation was out of my control. Although I felt helpless and fearful, I knew I needed to be an advocate for my husband.

Bad things happen every day! However, we have a choice in how we respond. We can either focus on the negative or the positive. John Maxwell said, “Having a positive perspective doesn’t mean you deny reality, it just means you acknowledge even the toughest circumstances have a way through them.”

As a leader, you will face adversity. So how do we learn lessons from adversity? When a crisis arises, ask yourself the following questions from Maxwell.

  1. How will this crisis make me better?
  2. How will I use this crisis to help other people?
  3. What action will I take to improve my situation?

Adversity is a normal part of our life. The question is, what lessons can we learn from the experience.

“Success is due to our stretching to the challenges of life. Failure comes when we shrink from them.”

– John C. Maxwell

What lessons will you learn to turn adversity into an advantage?

#YourLeadershipGuide
Kim


Want to be a better leader during times of crisis? Click HERE to view my free Leading Through Crisis Masterclass and learn how.

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Dr. Kim Moore

About the author

I'm Kim, your Educational Leadership Guide. I equip educational leaders with research-based and experientially learned educational leadership principles and best practices to promote student success.


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