CHRONIC ILL HEALTH OR DISABILITY CAN HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON A PERSON’S LIFE. After becoming physically paralyzed, a once active and healthy man named Ulf said: “I became deeply depressed. My strength, courage, and power drained away . . . I felt ‘destroyed.’”

BUILD RESILIENCE. Like Ulf, mentioned earlier, we may have no choice but to endure a persistent trial. Still, we can choose how we endure. Some become overwhelmed with discouragement, which may only make matters worse. “If you become discouraged in the day of distress, your strength will be meager,” says Proverbs 24:10.

Others, perhaps after initial feelings of despair, bounce back. They adapt. They find ways to cope. That was the case with Ulf. He said that after much prayer and meditation on the Bible’s positive message, he “started to see opportunities instead of obstacles.” Moreover, like many who undergo major trials, he learned valuable lessons in compassion and empathy, which moved him to share the Bible’s comforting message with others.

Another person who suffered greatly was a man named Steve. At age 15, he had an accident that paralyzed him from the neck down. By the time he was 18, he had regained the use of his arms. He then went to a university, where his life spiraled into drugs, alcohol, and sexual immorality. He had no hope​—until he began to study the Bible, which gave him a new outlook on life and helped him to conquer his bad habits. “The emptiness that I had felt for so long was no longer there,” he said. “My life is now filled with peace, happiness, and contentment.”