Powerful and Inspiring Stories of Overcoming Adversity

Are You Ready for Some Great Stories About Overcoming Adversity?

One of the four categories I talk about here on One Exceptional Life is overcoming challenges. More specifically, it’s not about the challenge, but moving on past the struggle that so very often has the potential to stop us in our tracks.  In that vein, I have invited guest writers to come in on a monthly basis to share their stories of overcoming adversity with you.  Our goal is for you is to see how others have been able to grow past their struggles. But also, I want you to be motivated by inspirational stories of overcoming.

So with that in mind, this post is a compilation of all of those guest posts.   The series is called Stories of Overcoming Adversity. 

I encourage you to check out each article.  Please pin, tweet, share and comment. Your comments support our friends who do the writing and lay their hearts out for you to learn and grow from.  Facing obstacles isn’t easy, but for me, knowing that others are benefiting from my story, gives me comfort.  So please share some love with these courageous women.

5 Overcoming Adversity Examples

How to Heal from Abuse When Others Hurt You

Meet Luisa from Fruitfully Living who brings us the first in our Stories of Overcoming Adversity Series.  She has a huge list of negative experiences in her life.  However, through an incredible process of three important things she learned to do, Confess, Forgive, and Release, this brave woman was able to overcome and thrive in life today.  Here is her story:   

When I look back at my life, in many ways, I should have been a statistic. Honestly, based on my circumstances, I don’t think people would have given me much of a chance to “succeed.” I had all the cards stacked up against me, except one. But that one card was the one that mattered. That one card gave me the tools to learn how to overcome adversity.

Much of my story about overcoming adversity that I have faced as an adult is a result of the struggles and suffering that I went through as a child. I am not going to go into every detail of the things I lived through. There is just too much to write. But here are a few “highlights”… (click the link above for the rest of her story.)

How I Found Peace in Times of Trouble

This next example of our overcoming adversity stories is told by Dawn from The Faith to Flourish who was tormented by drug addiction in her family.  She found peace in the storm through her relationship with Jesus and as she learned to let go of the things she could not control, God gave her a passion to help others do the same. She created a ministry to help other families hurt by addiction.  Here is Dawn’s story:

“Our son is addicted to drugs.” The words my husband whispered knocked the wind out of me. How could this be happening to our son, our family? How could I have prevented this? What can I do to fix it?  How can we find peace in times of trouble? The questions came faster than the answers, most of which I didn’t want to hear. 

I felt I was looking over a cliff at the waves crashing below. A storm was raging. My feet were slipping as my world was falling out from under me. Consumed by feelings of complete hopelessness, guilt, and shame, I suddenly became “that mom.”  (Click the link above for the rest of her story.)

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4 Essentials for Overcoming Anxiety and Depression as a Special Needs Mom

For our next contribution in our Stories about Overcoming Adversity Series, meet Erin from Lullaby Lark.  She’s a super sweet young momma of 2 who leans heavily on the Lord while facing the challenges in her life.  Her son was born with a congenital heart and lung condition.  Anytime any of our kids gets sick, as a mom we worry.  But to go through something so life-threatening from the moment he was born is heart-breaking.  Read on for a story of great faith, which will encourage all of us, regardless of the challenges we’re facing. 

Overcoming anxiety and depression as a special needs mom is no easy feat. Believe me. I get it. As a special needs mom myself, this is an area in which I have struggled greatly. 

At times, I’ve felt justified in my sadness and fear because I know most every special needs mom feels the same way! Because of my painful experiences with my medically complex son, I’ve felt that I have a right to my fear. I’ve earned it! 

My son, Griffin has been in the hospital at least once every fall and winter since he was born. Every doctor visit, chest x-ray, ambulance (or airplane) ride, and hospital admission taught me that fear and sadness are the appropriate reaction to my family’s stressful and pain-filled circumstances. Anxiety and depression had definitely found a foothold in my life and heart. But, in my four years as a special needs mom, I have discovered these four essential tips for overcoming anxiety and depression.  (Click the link above for the rest of her story as well as her tips.)

How to Overcome Feeling Like a Failure

Our next post is by my friend, Karen from the Warrior Women Blog, who has taken the insecurity of failure that she has lived with all her life and given it to the Lord.  In this example of stories about overcoming adversity, Karen talks about why we feel like a failure and how to overcome that feeling with a simple method.  You’ll wonder why you haven’t already thought of it.

What makes us feel like a failure?  Is it because we actually did a bad job on something?  Or is it just that we worry about what others will think?  Maybe it is because there was or is now someone in our life who talks down to us and makes us feel like we are not good enough at what we do?

It seems like women struggle with this more than men.  Maybe it’s just that women talk about it more and are more open to discussing our feelings. But one thing is certain, most everyone feels like a failure at some point in their lives.  

Why is this?  Some people are just perfectionists and expect themselves to always do everything right and never make mistakes.  The problem with this is that none of us are perfect. We can’t be, we are human. We will make mistakes at some point!  (Click the link for the rest of the post.)

9 Life-Changing Tips for Living with Chronic Illness

For the next Story about Overcoming Adversity, I want you to meet my friend, Angie.  Angie from Resounding His Love has struggled all her life with not one chronic illness, but many.  In fact she names 7 in her post.  This sweet woman is facing some serious challenges.  Yet she’s always got a smile on her face and she blesses each cancer patient, with her positivity, that she comes into contact with while she draws their blood as a phlebotomist in an oncology office.  Be sure to read her post for some fabulous tips for living with chronic illness.

Have you met people who have a chronic illness but they don’t allow it to get the best of them? What’s even more inspiring, is the individuals make a difference in not only your life but to everyone they come in contact with. Now, I realize everyone goes through various trials and tribulations, but if we can learn their tips for living with chronic illness, our lives will be drastically changed.

When we’re living with chronic health issues in life I know without a doubt that God is using our circumstances to not only grow our faith personally but to those we come in contact with as well. In all honesty, I truly believe we learn much more in the difficult circumstances and trials we face than when things are going smoothly.

Why? We can take our toughest trials and turn them into a much bigger testimony showing God’s glory in and through them. What a blessing and impact that we can make in so many lives of those who need to hear it most! But how can we view living with chronic illnesses in a positive way?  (Click the link above for the rest of this post.)

How I Overcame My ADD Challenge with God’s Wisdom

Next, in our stories of overcoming adversity, we have Haley, who has struggled with ADD, anxiety, and the drug Adderall for most of her life.  You will just love how Haley was able to turn everything over to the Lord to simplify her life and overcome her challenges with the side effects that come with such a potent drug.  Here is her story:

At a young age, I struggled to focus in school. I never got terrible grades but I did lack concentration which in turn affected my grades. Teachers saw my struggle with school but mistook it for a lack of effort and told me I would never amount to anything.

So in my high school years, my mother took me to a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with ADD and gave me a prescription of Adderall. This became my identity – a teenage girl with ADD and no sense of future success. But the medicine helped me to better focus and as a result I was able to succeed in my classes and eventually in my career.

Flash forward 16 years, in early 2019, I decided to make a change and to stop taking Adderall. I was starting to feel extremely anxious and my body felt like it was always “on.” I thought it was my work situation causing me stress and anxiety but I changed jobs and I still felt that way. (Click the link above for the rest of this post.)

There you go!  You’re all caught up in the series about Overcoming Adversity Examples.  We all have our own trials and tribulations.  What has made such a difference in my life is that I can use my own story about overcoming adversity as a quadruple amputee to help others.  It doesn’t matter the trial.  Even the Bible tells us we’ll be able to relate and why.  

2 Corinthians 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

I am a firm believer that every obstacle we are given is for our good and God’s glory.  We may not understand how and why at the time.  But if you trust the Lord completely, he will lead you to inspire and encourage others who can learn from your experience.

Which of these stories about overcoming adversity can you most relate to?  What have you learned? Please leave your comments below.