Sermon Central
-
Be Not Terrified By Adversity
Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Dec 31, 2010 (message contributor)
BE NOT TERRIFIED BY ADVERSITY
One of the most treasured pieces in the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, is a rug bearing the Latin inscription Nec Aspera Terrent (Be Not Terrified by Adversity).
It always has had special meaning for Baroness Maria von Trapp and her children—the famous Trapp Family Singers—because the rug, a gift from a friend, arrived on December 21, 1980, a day after a fire razed the famous lodge, killing a guest and injuring seven others.
It took three years and $7 million to rebuild the lodge, but the Trapps never had any doubts about rebuilding. To battle adversity was nothing new to them. The family, immortalized in the musical The Sound of Music, fled Austria in 1938 rather than submit to orders directing Baron von Trapp, a former submarine captain, to return to the German Navy. On arrival in the United States, the family had only $3.50.
When work on their first Vermont lodge was nearing completion, the structure was destroyed by a storm, so they started all over with a second lodge—the one that burned down in 1980.
On December 18, 1983, the day the successor to the burned-down lodge opened, Johannes von Trapp recalled that, when the rug arrived right after the fire, he had decided it would be prominently placed in the lobby of the new hotel.
Adversity is a fact of life. It can’t be controlled. What we can control is how we react to it.
[Three Minutes a Day, Vol. 24, Christopher Books, quoted in Bits & Pieces, March 2, 1995, pp. 14-16 — 10,000 Sermon Illustrations]
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
A Small Storeowner Was Being Pressured To Sell ... PRO
Contributed by Paul Decker on Nov 19, 2002
A small storeowner was being pressured to sell his store to the owners of a large department store who had bought every building on the block, except his. Frustrated by the man’s refusal to sell, they eventually opened their huge store on either side of the small one, with a big banner running ...read more
-
Waiting For God Is Not Laziness. Waiting For God ... PRO
Contributed by Donnie Martin on Nov 11, 2002
Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; ...read more
-
Wisdom Is The God-Given Ability To Perceive The ... PRO
Contributed by Eric Olson on Nov 12, 2002
“Wisdom is the God-given ability to perceive the true nature of a matter and implement the will of God in ...read more
-
Poem: Praise The Lord PRO
Contributed by Billy Kryger on Nov 11, 2002
Poem: Praise The Lord Praise Him when the sun is shining, When the winds of trouble blow, When you see no silver lining, On the clouds that hand so low. Praise illumines clouds of sorrow, Turns the gray skies into gold, Giving promise of a ‘morrow Bright with blessings ...read more
-
A.w. Tozer Wrote, "Revivals Come Only To Those ... PRO
Contributed by Jim Luthy on Nov 12, 2002
A.W. Tozer wrote, "Revivals come only to those who want them badly enough. The problem is not to persuade God to fill us, but to want God sufficiently to permit him to do so. The average Christian is so cold and so contented with his wretched condition that there is no vacuum of ...read more
Related Sermons
-
Recovering From Grief & Loss Series
Contributed by Todd Leupold on Nov 3, 2008
Losses and grief are inevitable parts of our lives in a world that has been corrupted by sin. The real struggle is not in avoiding these times but in learning how to understand and deal with them when they do come.
-
Hope In The Midst Of Chaos Series
Contributed by Pat Damiani on Sep 13, 2010
We can have hope in the midst of chaos because God knows us, protects us and equips us.
-
The Race Set Before Us Series
Contributed by Maurice Mccarthy on Jun 25, 2012
From Heb. 12:1 the race set before us is: 1. A Set Race (Sovereignty); 2. A Marked Out Race (Guidance); 3. An Individually Crafted Race; 4. A Forward Looking Race (The Race before us)
-
Job Holds To His Integrity - Job Chapter Twenty Seven Series
Contributed by Tom Shepard on Mar 13, 2008
This is a study on Job chapter twenty seven.
-
Respect For The Aged Day
Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 17, 2007
A sermon from Psalm 71 based on David’s elderly life. Let’s look at some identifying marks of this godly old man! Good for Grandparents Day! (Outline taken from Pulpit Commentary, historical setting taken from a few Sermon Central Contributors)
