Your first thought may be “He has done amazing work,” or “He has done a lousy job.” But first you might want to find out what I am referring to – the economy? The Virus? Foreign affairs? Or, even still, you might need to see if we are talking about the same President.
Over the course of our history, we have had Commander-in-Chiefs who have had to make gut wrenching decisions about whether to enter a war or not. Some have overseen recoveries from devastating hurricanes or pandemics. Still others have experienced a relatively calm and peaceful Presidency with few hiccups.
Some would say the greatest President was . . . and they might name one who didn’t make any major blunders. Others might indicate the likes of Abraham Lincoln, who navigated this country through one of its most challenging times. I have even heard some say that _____________ (fill in the blank), would have been a great President if he hadn’t faced so much adversity, because who he appeared to be is not really who he was.
An anonymous professor once said, “Who you are in adversity is who you are.” You see, the pressures that come with adversity have the ability to place our character on display. It is easy to appear to have it together when sailing a boat on calm waters. But how do we do in a raging storm? Adversity rips the façade off of our slick promotional publications and reveals if there is any substance underneath.
I encourage you to do a little internal examination today. Who are you deep down when the waters are raging? Because who you are there is who you are!