[G]od did not give us a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
—2 Timothy 1:7
Greek philosopher Epictetus said, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
Author Ryan Holiday wrote about two sons of an alcoholic father. One became a boozer; the other a teetotaler. Each was asked why he turned out the way he did. Each answered, “Because my father was an alcoholic.”
Same environment. Opposite outcomes.
We all face situations over which we have no control, but we do have control over how we react to them. What happens to us is reality. How we react to what happens to us is choice.
You are not defined by circumstances, but by how you respond to circumstances.
You allow adversity to
weaken or strengthen you.