FRESH IN THE SCHOOL OF ADVERSITY

Ann does not have to work very hard to get what she wants for she came from a long line of old-money family. She has a caring husband who is a pastor in the single largest church in the community. Her two children Mark and Daphne also attended the community college. She was well respected in her community for her efforts involving building a side road for turtles crossing the highway. In fact the bypass was named "Ann-30" to represent the efforts and contribution of Ann and thirty others. She was involved with different associations but the one that stands out at present is the pro-life movement. She pursued their cause with passion and rose to become the face of the movement in her society. During small briefings, the other members never fail to grasp her determination as a result she won many hearts. One day she attended the largest gathering ever of students involving her daughter's school and spoke passionately about chastity and why parents should bear on their children to follow her example. She has purchased a chastity ring for her children and was very proud of it. As she drove home she could still hear the thunderous clapping and the standing ovation she received.
Oh, life is good! As she went into the house she went to the kitchen table for a while when her children arrived from the same gathering. The daughter said to her, "Mom you do not even know me. Can't you see that I am four months pregnant?" As she perceived those words plus the cynical smile on her daughter's face the drinking glass fell from her right hand and shattered on the floor. Then she fell from the kitchen stool to the floor. She was having a heart attack. Quickly, her children dialed 911 and she was taken to the hospital. The doctors told her she would face months of rehabilitation from the stroke that resulted. Ann look up and could not imagine herself in this situation. Indeed she is fresh in the school of adversity.

This is a school that you need not apply to be enrolled. It has no respect for age, wealth, education, race, power, fame or beauty. It is a school among schools and every human being passes through the school in one format or the other. It is also possible to attend the post graduate department without your consent. You can never attend the school and be the same again. It will change you and purge you of all the things you think that you know. It will bring you to a levelling far beyond your imaginations. You may also be required to repeat a class with different courses or instructors. There are cases where a whole family will have to attend the classes together. In this school, there are graduates, drop-outs and those who fail or are unable to attend. Your length of stay in each course depends on you. It is a school where mistakes and failures lead to success in future. Joan Littlewoods said about this type of school that "If we don't get lost we'll never find a new route." There are many examples of those who have attended his school before us so we need not fear as we can learn from them. Difficult and complex as it may seem, this school brings us to appreciate the power, goodness and God's ability to solve any problem.