Charles R. Swindoll - Getting Through the Tough Stuff: Its Always Something!

GETTING THROUGH THE
TOUGH
STUFF

PUBLICATIONS BY CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
BOOKS FOR ADULTS

Active Spirituality

Bedside Blessings

Behold...The Man!

The Bride

Come Before Winter

Compassion: Showing We Care in a Careless World

The Darkness and the Dawn

David: A Man of Passion and Destiny

Day by Day

Dear Graduate

Dropping Your Guard

Elijah: A Man of Heroism and Humility

Encourage Me

Esther: A Woman of Strength and Dignity

The Finishing Touch

Five Meaningful Minutes a Day

Flying Closer to the Flame

For Those Who Hurt

Getting Through the Tough Stuff

Gods Provision

The Grace Awakening

The Grace Awakening Devotional

The Grace Awakening Workbook

Growing Deep in the Christian Life

Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life

Growing Wise in Family Life

Hand Me Another Brick

Home:Where Life Makes Up Its Mind

Hope Again

Improving Your Serve

Intimacy with the Almighty

Job: A Man of Heroic Endurance

Job: Interactive Study Guide

Joseph: A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness

Killing Giants, Pulling Thorns

Laugh Again

Leadership: Influence That Inspires

Living Above the Level of Mediocrity

Living Beyond the Daily Grind, Books I and II

The Living Insights Study Bible, general editor

Living on the Ragged Edge

Make Up Your Mind

Man to Man

Marriage: From Surviving to Thriving

Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication

The Mystery of Gods Will

Paul: A Man of Grace and Grit

The Quest for Character

Recovery:When Healing Takes Time

The Road to Armageddon

Sanctity of Life

Simple Faith

Simple Trust

So, You Want to be Like Christ?

Starting Over

Start Where You Are

Strengthening Your Grip

Stress Fractures

Strike the Original Match

The Strong Family

Suddenly One Morning

Swindolls Ultimate Book of Illustrations and Quotes

Three Steps Forward,Two Steps Back

Victory: A Winning Game Plan for Life

Why, God?

Wisdom for the Way

You and Your Child

MINIBOOKS

Abraham: A Model of Pioneer Faith

David: A Model of Pioneer Courage

Esther: A Model of Pioneer Independence

Moses: A Model of Pioneer Vision

Nehemiah: A Model of Pioneer Determination

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Anger

Attitudes

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Dealing with Defiance

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Divorce

Eternal Security

Forgiving and Forgetting

Fun Is Contagious!

Gods Will

Hope

Impossibilities

Integrity

Intimacy with the Almighty

Leisure

The Lonely Whine of the Top Dog

Make Your Dream Come True

Making the Weak Family Strong

Moral Purity

Peace... in Spite of Panic

Portrait of a Faithful Father

The Power of a Promise

Prayer

Reflections from the HeartA Prayer Journal

Seeking the Shepherds HeartA Prayer Journal

Sensuality

Stress

This Is No Time for Wimps

Tongues

When Your Comfort Zone Gets the Squeeze

Woman

GETTING THROUGH THE
TOUGH
STUFF

Its Always Something!

CHARLES R. SWINDOLL

GETTING THROUGH THE TOUGH STUFF

Charles R. Swindoll

Copyright 2004 Charles R. Swindoll. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission from the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the New American Standard Bible 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scriptures noted as MSG are quoted from The Message, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Swindoll, Charles R.

Getting through the tough stuff : its always something! / Charles R. Swindoll

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 13: 978-0-8499-1320-4 (tp)
ISBN 978-0-8499-1813-1 (hc)
ISBN 0-8499-9131-5 (IE)

1. Life cycle, HumanReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Consolation.
3. Christian life. I. Title.
BV4597.555.S95 2004 CIP

Printed in the United States of America
09 10 11 12 QW 10 9 8 7 6

It is with great gratitude for her life
and her remarkable responses to
the tough stuff of life
that I dedicate this volume to
our older daughter,

CHARISSA ANN SWINDOLL.

Her mother and I give God
maximum praise for sustaining her
through many dangers, toils, and snares.
It was grace that brought her safe thus far,
and it will be grace that will enable her
to encourage others to press on
for the rest of her years on earth.

CONTENTS

Life is like an onion, which one peels crying.FRENCH PROVERB

When you are down and out, something always turns upand itsusually the noses of your friends. ORSON WELLES

Lifes a tough proposition, and the first hundred years are the hardest. WILSON MIZNER

L IFE AND TOUGH STUFF GO HAND IN HAND. They typically appear as gradually intensifying storms. Sometimes sudden winds of adversity hit hard against us as our barometers take a dive to the bottom of the gauge.

Maybe youre there right now. Thats why you chose this book. Tough stuff seems easier to manage when we see it coming. But how often does that happen? Its the treacherous assaults beyond the horizon, those mental muggings we cannot see, that buckle our knees. You know exactly what I mean.

Adversity has a way of cutting us down. After the initial blunt blow, were left stunned, wondering what hit us. Its the tough stuff that tests the core of our beings, leaving us with contrasting results. It will either strengthen our deepest beliefs or unravel the fabric of our faith. Everything depends on our response. Occasionally the blows are so brutal they alter life as we know it.