The Upside of Adversity (Regal Books, 2006)
Os Hillman thought he had it all. Operating his own 10-employee advertising agency as a Christian witness, he became nearly financially independent by the age of 42. Os and his wife had just purchased a 13-acre estate and were drawing up plans for their dream home. Shortly after this, his wife filed for separation (which eventually led to divorce), his agency lost its biggest client that represented 70% of its billings, and he lost several hundred thousand dollars of investments.
God had placed a “Joseph calling” on Os Hillman’s life. When such a calling is placed on one’s life, one experiences extraordinary levels of adversity so that God can accomplish extraordinary things through that individual. Like the experiences of Joseph in the Old Testament, this calling is comprised of 4 tests: the Judas Test, a trial of betrayal and rejection; the Integrity Test, a trial of temptation; the Perseverence Test; and the Test of Success, the most difficult test of all. As Charles Spurgeon has observed, “We are full and we forget God; satisfied with earth, we are content to do without heaven.”
Looking back on his experiences, Os states that he had learned to live with adversity and could live that way the rest of his life if that was what God was calling him to do. He adds, “How can you tell when your trial will be over? When it doesn’t matter any more.”
