Adversity

The podcast episode "Adversity" by Jacques LaGrange explores the theme of using adversity as a tool for growth and learning. Jacques shares personal experiences, including health challenges and relationship struggles, to illustrate how difficult times can lead to valuable lessons. He emphasizes the importance of trusting in a higher power, resting when needed, and reflecting on adversities to avoid repeating mistakes. The episode encourages listeners to live purposefully and use their experiences to help others.

Transcript

Jacques LaGrange (00:01.102)
The sweet are the uses of adversity. Let's talk about it next on the giving a purpose podcast.

Jacques LaGrange (00:34.316)
Welcome to the giving a purpose podcast where we bridge the highs the lows the lessons learned through life's journey and filling in The gap you already know what it is new week new episode. I'm your boy Mr. LA the host of the giving a purpose podcast Man, I am glad you guys still hanging there with me what you can do for me right now Make sure you hit that subscribe button Click down low hit that subscribe button

click the bell, do all those things, make sure you follow us every week. Something that hit me, I was watching something the other day and this quote from Shakespeare hit me that was really good. It says, sweet are the uses of adversity, right? So everything that happens to you,

can be used to produce something good in your life. Listen, none of us are exempt. We've all had adversities. Listen, I've had them a lot. Those that know my story, there's been a time where I almost died. had these bleeding ulcers. I had to get emergency surgery. I've had divorce. I've had...

bad relationships, bad jobs, just a lot of ups and downs. But just because it didn't work out the way I planned doesn't mean it's not working for my good. I want y'all to think about that real quick. Sweet are the uses of adversity. Listen, sometimes those adversity things,

teach us the best lessons, draw us closer. I remember the time that when I was talking about when I had my surgery and things like that, man, I know the...

Jacques LaGrange (02:50.593)
the human in me, I'm a fighter, right? Usually when I'm going through it, right? I'm like, all right, I'm gonna be tough. I'm gonna be strong. I'm gonna figure this out. But there was a time, it was probably day two or day three, I was just laying there and I'm like, God, I'm trying to figure all this out. I just moved down here. I had just moved to Florida. I had just gotten a job.

And I'm just like, all right, man, I gotta get better. I gotta get back. I don't know if they're gonna pay me. I just got down here. I'm not sure what's gonna happen. And this was a time where God was like, trust me, I got you. And I'm like, I don't know. He's like, this is what I want you to do. I want you to at rest. I want you to rest. There was this, like I said, I'm going through all of this.

I actually had a tube here, a tube here, had a tube in my stomach draining blood. I had a tube in my nose draining blood, I mean, getting the blood out of my duodenum and my stomach area. And through all this adversity, he said, I want you to rest. And what I learned is that sometimes when you're going through tough things, sometimes you just have to sit in his presence and let him do his thing.

It's not that you can't fight back or you shouldn't, but there has to be a moment of time where maybe he wants you to rest and maybe he wants you to learn something. And I know that if I want to learn something from him, sometimes I just gotta, I gotta shh, be quiet. Tonight is the night. You know what I'm saying? Sometimes you just have to, you have to be quiet and be still and know that he is God, right?

But there's so many times where we have these adversities. Listen, you've had, like I said, I've had divorce, breakups, bad relationships and different things like that. And you start to think of these adversities. Am I a bad person? Am I undateable? What are the things that I'm doing wrong? But in these adversities, what is the lesson that I'm trying to learn? Where did I mess up? How?

Jacques LaGrange (05:17.208)
Can I be better for next time? How do I stay focused? Every adversity isn't something to beat you down. Sometimes it's to teach you. Sometimes it's for you to get clarification. And sometimes we have these things where God is just telling you, need you to sit down somewhere.

I need you to stop worrying and I need you to trust in me. Hold on. He will allow some of these adversities to happen to see how much you're gonna trust in him because his ways are not our ways.

We don't think like him. And sometimes the adversity is the setup for our next level. And we gotta trust and believe that. Stay focused, stay in alignment. That has been my thing for this year. Just getting back into alignment. Still having adversities, but when the adversity comes, now I have to sit back and think, what am I supposed to learn from this? How do I get better?

How do I help teach somebody else who may be going through the same thing?

Jacques LaGrange (06:36.586)
Sweet, sweet, sweet. Sweet are the uses of adversity. Think about that. Marinate that. See how that blesses you this week. Reflect back on sometimes of the things that have gone wrong. Think of the adversities you have went through. But the main thing I want you to reflect on, all those adversities, guess what? You're still here. That means you survived it.

That means now you can help somebody else. Maybe you need to reflect on those adversities and think about what lesson was I supposed to learn? Because sometimes with the adversities, what we do in life and what we have and what we run into, and I'm raising my hand right now because it happens all the time, we repeat it. Let's not repeat the adversities. Sometimes those lessons right there aren't for you to repeat. They're for you to learn so you don't.

Do it again. All right? Now, I need you guys to do the two most important things I ask you guys to do every week. Make sure you live on purpose and make sure you live in purpose. I'll see you guys next time. Peace.