Rule#8 Rule of Becoming Stronger (ROBES)

The Rule

Every time you persevere and successfully emerge from a problem/crisis, you will become stronger. Please remember that a problem/crisis is actually a test from God. Please have faith in your ability to overcome a problem/crisis because God only tests someone according to his/her ability.

Consider this fact: The cocoon of the moth is securely bound by the silk it had earlier woven itself (the caterpillar) in to protect the larvae from external harm while it metamorhosized. However, it (the cocoon) also makes it difficult for the emerging newly developed creature to crawl out of its once protective home.

Consider this story: It is the nature of man with kindness in his heart to offer assistance to the weak or presumed weak. Seeing the moth struggling out of its cocoon, the man could not resist helping this “poor” creature. He tore the cocoon apart to usher the moth into the new world, before the moth could go through the normal process where its creator has intended for it to go through as one of the required phases of life. The man had expected the moth to be grateful and fly away gleefully. Alas, the moth limply fell to the ground unable to spread its wings. It struggled on the ground with its wings crumpled and slowly faded and died. This tragedy is the result of just one short of the required processes of its insect life.

The man could not understand why. Instead of helping the moth, he has caused the young moth to perish prematurely. What he could not understand is that the moth is supposed to struggle and break through its own cocoon such that during the intended struggle, insect blood from its body would be pushed through the capillaries of its wings and force the long folded wings to spread and as a result creating the tightness of its membranes such as to allow it to be airborne.

Another commonly seen biological process intended by God is the process of muscle building. Any bodybuilder would understand that in order to build muscles and strength, he needs to work on the muscles. Work required expenditure of energy. Work is force multiply by distance travelled. Force to a body builder is the load of the weights. His muscles would gradually grow bigger and stronger as he chalks up reps with the weights he lifts.

Similarly, any scholar would tell you that his mental muscles would multiply in proportion to the mental challenges he encounters or chooses to encounter in the process of life.

In pretty much the same fashion, a father has to endure the pain of seeing his son fall from the bicycle in the process of learning how to ride the bicycle. It is also not uncommon to see a father cry many a tears in his heart to punish their children when they stray, and bleed in his heart to allow their children to bear the brunt of their mistakes in life such as to nurture an future exemplary adult.

Challenges in our life are good for us. Through the process of struggling in life, we learn valuable lessons of what to do and what to avoid. In our process of struggling through life, we will become stronger.

What is this rule?

            This rule states that as long as you survive a problem, challenge, calamity or disease, then you will become stronger. God has designed us in that fashion. For example, our immune system will become stronger when we are infected with a disease and then recovered from it. Challenges are natural way for God to make us stronger.  

How to implement this rule?

            Every time you are faced with a problem/crisis/disease, please remember that it is only a test from God. Please have faith in your ability to overcome it and please remember that if you survive, then you will become stronger than before.

The benefit of this rule

            Don’t ever feel that it is the end of the world when you are faced with a problem/crisis/disease. Every problem has a solution. Accept the solution even if it is bitter. And please remember, God only gives you the problem to make you a stronger person than before.

More about this rule

            Have you ever seen a ‘Tomoi’ warrior from Thailand? Tomoi warrior are said to have the hardest legbone in the world. How do they get such a hard legbone? During their training, they will constantly kick many things such as woods, trees  etc most of the time until the bones break. After they recovered, the healed legbones are stronger than before. They will then repeat the process. Every time the broken bones heal, they become stronger than before. Eventually, their bones will become so strong that it is said if a Tomoi warrior kicks the sharp edge of the leg of a wooden table or a chair, it will be the leg of the table or chair that breaks and not his leg!