Do you hate platitudes? Do overly simplistic solutions to complex problems irritate you? Perhaps the most irritating platitude would be, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” We needed to restrain ourselves from violence whenever people said that to us while we suffered infertility. Nevertheless, making the best of a difficult situation is the key to dealing with life’s challenges.

All of us need meaning and purpose. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) warns, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”  In fact, the struggle for meaning and purpose often dominates people’s lives. The question is, “What is really worthy of the investment of our lives?” Is the goal a career, a beautiful home, or a life filled with unique experiences? All of these are fine in themselves. Still, we would like to offer a more lasting answer. A more-than-ordinary life invests itself making a difference in others’ lives.

Drew’s Grandmother and Grandfather

“If you want to feel better about yourself, do something for someone else,” my grandmother would say. She could even help you do so by assigning some chores, if needed. I always thought the good feeling that followed was relief at being finished with the work. Perhaps I felt more joy at a job done for someone else than I realized. “Get your eyes off of yourself,” is a well-known axiom in dealing with nearly any emotional trauma.

More Than Ordinary Challenges is our life skills book that helps couples, or individuals deal with an intractable circumstance, loss, or difficulty. Those suffering such a challenge may find thinking about anything else difficult. We need to be careful to not allow our lives to be dominated by that challenge. All of us need a higher God-given purpose to occupy our minds and hearts. One key part of God’s purpose for each of us is to invest our lives in others.  More Than Ordinary Challenges

Drew Coons