My youngest son is a big hockey fan and loves to play as well. Last weekend he finished four days of very intense tryouts. Initially there were only four coaches evaluating and everyday more and more coaches would arrive to evaluate the players, until the last day when there were ten evaluators. Additional evaluators often led to additional stress.
In addition to the added evaluators; the last two days the organization covered all the windows to the rink and no spectators were allowed in, there was no father to give an approving nod, or mother to motion in “hockey sign-language” to ‘move your feet’, instead, it was only the players and evaluators.
A typical ‘shift’ in hockey lasts approximately 40 seconds and then you’re back on the bench recovering, and players rotate seamlessly into and out of the game. Tyler came home and shared that they were forcing each line to stay out for 4 minute shifts instead of 40 seconds; he talked about how bad his legs were burning, how a lot of kids were ‘giving up’, throwing-up or just gliding around on the ice. I thought that was an amazing technique to use in tryouts to learn who will give-up early; who is in the best physical and cardiovascular condition; and who may have a negative attitude in difficult situations.
The next day after Tyler had learned he made the team we ran into the coach, and that’s when he shared that ‘planned adversity’ will be a theme of this upcoming hockey season. He went on to say that they are looking to develop the most elite hockey players in the world and that goal requires hockey skill along with mental and physical strength.
What do you think? Is ‘planned adversity’ a good thing for growth and development? Is there a better way to make mentally and physically strong people?
Here are some Scriptures to ponder as it relates to this:
James 1:2-4, 12 AMP
“Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing”… “Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor’s] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
Here are 3 simple things you can do to plan adversity into your child’s life depending on their age:
1) Don’t bail them out of consequences and situations that they caused by poor choices
2) Make them wake-up for school on their own
3) Have them do chores that are more difficult or time-consuming than he/she may think they can handle
After all I want my kids to be ‘lacking in nothing!’
This verse also talks about ‘persevering when tempted’ and I realized that when I have had adversity I was often tempted to give up, or to lie (that I wasn’t really trying or didn’t really want it anyway.) The times I have had success is when I expected adversity and saw that adversity as a learning experience to become stronger, to exercise my beliefs, to become an “elite” warrior for the Lord and for those lost or less spiritually mature around me.
Has adversity in your life made you stronger? Do you currently plan adversity into your life in any way?
Written by Jamie Shaver