"Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records." - William Arthur Ward
Netflix just released a documentary on the career of Futbol legend David Beckham. I don't know a lot about professional soccer, having attended one MLS game at FC Cincinnati. Beckham also holds celebrity status as a mogul and fashion icon with his wife Victoria aka "Posh Spice" of the Spice Girls. They seem from the outside to be the perfect couple—so famous, rich, and beautiful, as to garner all kinds of media attention, fortune, and the adoration of fans worldwide. The backstory revealed that Beckham and his wife had lived through and overcome a great deal of adversity. The main ingredient was—their family remained together.
Webster defines ADVERSITY as a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune. Though many have come to envy the lives of this dynamic duo...the documentary unveiled childhood challenges, infidelity, stalking paparazzi, moves from country to country on a moment's notice, and one futbol mistake that caused Beckham to be hated and vilified by all of England—including death threats. It was likely the Beckhams would not have survived much less thrived...but somehow they have overcome, and are now two of the most impactful personalities in their nation's history.
"You'll never find a better sparring partner than adversity."—Golda Meir, Israeli Leader
"If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small." (Prov. 24:10) In the Gospels, we are reminded that the same people who laid down their palms and cloaks before Jesus crying "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!" (John 12:13) just FIVE DAYS later yelled "Crucify Him!" (Mark 15:13-14). "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." (Prov. 17:17) But Jesus' closest disciples were nowhere to be found in His darkest hour. English critic John Churton Collins wrote, "In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends." May God grace you to prosper, and triumph in adversity and have true friends by your side. | 
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