| Just as rain falls on both the rich and the poor, and the wicked and the righteous alike, trials befall all of us. Everyone has challenges to confront and conquer, and usually those challenges come unexpectedly!
It has been said that circumstances don't make us, they merely reveal us for what we are. When we get knocked flat on life's playing field, will we just lie there and moan, or will we pick ourselves up and get on with the game? When others suffer some tough hits, will we extend a helping hand in spite of our own bruises? Will we complain about the game, the rules, the referees, the other players and the weather, or will we rejoice in the exceitement and challenge of the contest? As we endure the difficult circumstances that come to us in the game of life, let us hope they will reveal us to be enthusiastic players--players who intend to stay in the game until the final whistle blows.
Find a Silver Lining presents heart-warming evidence that there are many beneficial outcomes that stem from adversity, and that much of life's happiness comes from those outcomes. The book is written in three parts. Part I presents twelves examples which show adversity is a universal problem. Part II addresses the "why: question--why does adversity befall us?--and gives reasons in seven insightful chapters. Part III teaches us how to look for silver linings, with six life-changing outcomes suggested.
Find a Silver Lining answers some of life's most difficult questions. Its answers and insights will replace sorrow with joy for those who will heed its message. |
| Introduction: No Monopoly On Grief, 9
Part One: Adversity, A Universal Problem, 13
Door One: We Learned Patience, 15
Door Two: Don't Give Up!, 21
Door Three: Afghans, 25
Door Four: Even His Paramours, 31
Door Five: The Winds of Change, 35
Door Six: We Didn't Get to Say Goodbye, 45
Door Seven: Adversity Means Different Things to Different People, 51
Door Eight: My Daddy Doesn't Love Me!, 59
Door Nine: I Found Me, 67
Door Ten: Beating the Odds, 71
Door Eleven: I Learned to Balance Life Better, 77
Door Twelve: She Brought Us Happiness, 75
Part Two: Why Does Adversity Befall Us?, 91
Question One: What Makes a Burden Heavy or Light?, 97
Question Two: What Is It about Burdens That Makes Them Difficult to Bear?, 101
Question Three: How Can Challenges Seem Easy One Time and So Difficult Another Time?, 105
Question Four: Why Can Two People Respond to the Same Problem So Differently?, 107
Question Five:
Why Is Life So Unfair?, 109
Question Six: Why Are Our Own Challenges Greater Than Those of Other People?, 113
Question Seven: Are We Really Supposed to Be Grateful for Problems, 117
Part Three: Look for Silver Linings, 123
Action One: Develope Eyes to See, 125
Action Two: Build a Positive Attitude, 129
Action Three: Strengthen Spiritual Resources, 133
Action Four: Care for Ourselves Physically, Socially, Emotionally, and Financially, 143
Action Five: Expand Knowledge and Talents, 147
Action Six: Value Our Time, 155
Conclusion
Index A: People, 161
Index B: Problems, 164
Index C: Silver Linings, 167
Endnotes, 171
About the Author, 173
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