"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it"
Hebrews 12:11
Last week I suffered a minor stroke that affected my speech and immobilized my right leg. Today, seven days later, by the grace of God, I have my speech back and the movement of my right leg, both at 85%.
While I was in the hospital, I asked them to bring me my Bible and a book. The book they brought me was "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don't" - Jim Collins, in his book, shares a personal encounter he had with US Admiral Jim Stockdale.
Admiral Jim Stockdale was a POW (prisoner of war) in Hanoi, Vietnam, from 1965 to 1973. He was incarcerated under brutal conditions: extreme isolation coupled with long periods of solitary confinement, starvation rations (two cups of food each day), crude medical care (no doctors or medicines except aspirin), and lack of contact with fellow prisoners.
Thankfully, Admiral Jim Stockdale survived the harsh conditions of a prisoner camp horrible enough to break many men.
In one of the many interviews he had with different reporters and writers, he answered the following question: How did you survive under unimaginable brutal conditions and others didn't? His reply became what I called a "classic answer" known today in psychology as "The Stockdale Paradox."
He said: "I never lost faith in the end of the story. I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade." He then concluded with this powerful statement: "The better we grasp and accept the reality of our condition, the greater our opportunity to persevere through anything."
1. The Stockdale Paradox is the balance between being optimistic and facing the real truth of your situation.
You see, optimism is a great thing, but left on its own without check, it can lead to unrealistic expectations. Acknowledging the brutal facts of your situation is not pessimistic. However, the most powerful attitude one can possess is what I call "disciplined optimism;" It's the ability to hold on to hope and faith while being disciplined enough to power through the hardships of the situation.
The apostle Paul is our best example of this paradox; he said in Romans 8:35-39:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The apostle Paul never lost his faith and the certainty of a positive outcome for his situation, but he also had the discipline to power through the hardships of life.
2. Be balanced
There is a balance between being optimistic and honest about the current reality. It's in the balance that we gain what we need to persevere through any circumstance. We shouldn't spend time debating between being pessimists, optimists, and realists; we just need to move forward into the future.
I read this great illustration from someone who knows how to move forward.
Dear Optimist, Pessimist, and Realist,
While you guys were busy arguing about the glass of water, I DRANK IT.
Sincerely, The Opportunist
I love that note! We need to be opportunists who are simply making the best of every situation we face. As a Pastor, a spiritual leader, I have to live by faith. But with a faith that can endure the process.
Neither you nor I can bury our heads in the sand or brush the brutal facts under the rug; instead, we must face reality head-on with faith in the promises of the Word of God, optimism, and opportunity.
Admiral Stockdale's inspirational story is one I love to share because it tells us about someone who persevered through difficult circumstances while maintaining an optimistic outlook on life and faith that, in the end, everything was going to be alright.
During the five days I spent in a hospital bed, I listened with tears in my eyes to the song written by Evan Craft, "Todo va a estar bien" (Everything will be alright). It built within me the attitude of "disciplined faith," which is the faith that submits to the process without losing the optimism of the outcome that "Everything will be alright."
Have a blessed week,
Pastor (Rev. Elias Limones)
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