“What is to give light must endure burning.” —Viktor Frankl

Does it sometimes seem like life has a knack for hurling curveballs at us when we are least prepared? We have all found ourselves in those moments—such as hearing news that feels like a punch to the gut, causing our hearts to sink and our hopes to waver. Perhaps we have known the pain of betrayal by a close friend, or we have stood helplessly as the results of our earnest efforts crumbled before our eyes. Maybe we have walked alongside those who have suffered through horrific events, and their trauma became lodged within our own hearts.

At times, we are all confronted by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, grief, or suffering, and the weight of multiple adversities accumulates until we feel utterly crushed—the realities of living in a fallen world. Scripture is filled with accounts of prophets and leaders enduring moments of overwhelmed spirits. Yet, by God’s grace, we all possess the extraordinary ability to choose our response amidst the storms.

Viktor Frankl’s widely known quote captures this concept:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Think about it. Life throws difficulties our way, big and small, that naturally trigger immediate reactions. We are designed to survive. But we are also designed with the power of decision. Within that split second between what happens to us and how we react, there exists a precious moment when we possess the incredible capacity to exercise choice.

While working in the field, Sean and I have often encountered a barrage of challenges that threatened to overwhelm us. We have noticed similar ordeals endured by other field workers we have coached. While the crosshairs of adversity are not unusual, trials sometimes arrive in clusters or from where we least expected opposition.

Recognizing the need for more peace amid our tempests, Sean and I have recently spent much time seeking God’s guidance and encouragement. We first needed help to fortify our resilience, acquire new tools, and stay intentional in our challenges before we could mentor fellow faith workers weathering their own storms. Praise God that He provided answers to our prayers.

Evidently, we needed more opportunities to practice using these tools. After all, experience is the best teacher. Right on the heels of a series of extraordinarily weighty and emotional challenges, a much less serious one was thrown at us. It could have felt like the proverbial last straw, yet it was another opportunity to practice intentionality and use the space between stimulus and response to choose wisely.

The apartment we had been renting for several years had abruptly become financially unfeasible. Our landlord doubled our rent, finding he could secure significantly higher rent from foreigners unaware of local market rates. We had to find a new home quickly.

We would have little time to find a new place, pack and move. There are no classified ads or realtors to help us find a rental in our area. Most long-term rentals are discovered by word of mouth. Additionally, we live on the seventh floor with no elevator.

While this typically would have created a lot of tension and stress, we had been practicing pausing and choosing intentionality. We were getting better at finding peace in the storm. We remained calm and had faith that everything would work out for the best. Two weeks later, one of our friends told us he had found out about a man with a small home in a quiet spot at the edge of town. The man lives in Greece and has been building this house little by little each time he returns to his hometown.

Our friend persuaded him to consider renting it to us. He was putting on the finishing touches and returning to Greece the next day. Sean looked at it, and the man offered to rent it to us for less than the former rental cost. He believed it would be much safer from vandalism with someone living in it. They went to the notary to complete a contract the next morning.

Our friends have volunteered to help us move and have recruited some young men to carry furniture down all those stairs. Another friend has offered his cargo truck and his time. Every obstacle has dissipated. Now we look forward to living in a quieter spot resembling a village but only a 10- or 15-minute walk from our current apartment.

We are not always successful at using the split-second space to exercise our power of choice, but when we do it consistently, the difference it makes is transformational. In those small spaces lies the power to transform adversity into strength, pain into purpose, and challenges into stepping stones toward meaning and hope.

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