The final statement in the CCA Honor Code is that we are to be “joyful in the face of difficulty.” I suspect that, for many of us, this is the hardest provision of the Code to uphold. We may have little trouble being honest, acting uprightly, studying hard, and even serving others.
But how can we just decide to be joyful when things are hard? At my best, I may be determined and resolute in the face of difficulty…but joyful? I mean, when’s the last time you smiled at a math problem you couldn’t solve?
Well, let me suggest that joy in the face of difficulty starts with considering what the hardship will make of us, rather than how it makes us feel. Have you ever seen great athletes training? All that pain and sweat and discomfort and failure—and yet, they do it voluntarily and even seem to enjoy it.
Why? Not because they like pain, but because they know it will make them better. It turns out, the same is true of every difficulty we face in life—overcoming it, even battling through it, and yes, even when it ends in failure, it always presents to us a chance to be made better.
Epictetus said: “The greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.”
You don’t have to like the storm—but when you know what a great navigator it will make of you, you might just find yourself smiling in its face.
Have a wonderful day.
