Life has a way of knocking us down when we least expect it. Sometimes it feels like wave after wave crashes against us before we can even catch our breath. Struggles can leave us questioning our worth, our purpose, and even our faith. However, here is the truth: struggles are not dead ends. They can become stepping stones to a stronger, wiser, and more resilient version of ourselves.

That’s the heartbeat of Rising From The Ashes by Phyllis Turner Hudson—a story of poverty, heartbreak, abuse, loss, and grief that is transformed into a testimony of hope and victory. Her journey proves that the very situations that threatened to break us can be the same ones God uses to build us up.

In this blog, let’s look at how we can shift our perspective and turn life’s setbacks into stepping stones.

1. Recognize That Struggles Are Part of the Journey
   

   When we go through hardships, the first question we often ask is, ‘Why me?’ We want to know why life seems unfair or why God allowed inevitable pain. However, Phyllis’s story shows us that struggles are not detours—they are part of the journey itself.

   Growing up in a home filled with poverty and chaos, she could have let fear and insecurity define her future. Instead, those experiences became the soil where her faith was planted. She discovered early that fear was not from God and that circumstances couldn’t steal her purpose.
   
   When we accept that struggles are a part oflife’s journey, we stop resisting them and start learning from them. Every storm carries a lesson if we are willing to look for it.

2. Don’t Let Setbacks Define You
   

   One of the greatest dangers of hardship is the temptation to believe that failure or pain defines who we are. However, your past is not your prison—it’s a classroom.

   Phyllis faced abusive relationships, the devastation of miscarriage, the heartbreak of infertility, and the crushing grief of losing her husband and nephew. Yet, in every loss, she chose not to let those chapters dictate her identity. Instead, she embraced the promise that God could bring beauty from ashes.

   You may have failed, been betrayed, or experienced unbearable loss—but those things don’t define you. They refine you.

3. Use Pain as a Teacher
   

   Pain hurts, but it also teaches. It teaches us empathy for others, wisdom for future choices, and appreciation for moments of joy.

   Phyllis’s years of caregiving for her parents taught her the value of sacrifice and patience. Her battles with depression taught her the importance of support, prayer, and honesty about mental health. Even her legal and financial struggles in later life revealed a newfound strength in her faith and provided her with opportunities to minister to others facing similar challenges.

   Think of your own pain as a teacher. Ask yourself: What is this moment trying to teach me? Instead of running from it, lean into the lesson it carries.

4. Lean on Faith and Community
   

   No one can walk through life’s valleys alone. One of the recurring themes in Rising From The Ashes is how God placed people in Phyllis’s path to help carry her burdens. From sisters who cared for her during a breakdown to church members who supported her in ministry, the community played a vital role in her healing.

   Your struggles may tempt you to isolate, but healing happens when you reach out. Whether it’s leaning on friends, joining a faith community, or seeking counseling, strength multiplies when shared. As the old saying goes: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

5. See Struggles as Preparation for Purpose
   

   Every setback can prepare you for your calling. Phyllis’s life demonstrates this beautifully. Her hardships weren’t random—they were shaping her into a vessel for ministry. Her testimony now inspires others because she has walked through the fire and come out refined.

   Your pain may one day be someone else’s survival guide. The very thing you thought would destroy you could become the story that gives someone else the courage to keep going.

6. Choose Hope Every Day
   

   Healing and strength don’t come overnight. Some days will still feel heavy. Nevertheless, strength is built in the daily choice to hope, to trust, and to move forward even when the path feels unclear.

   As Phyllis reminds readers, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. You may not know when your “morning” will come, but every day you choose hope, you take another step closer to it.

Final Thoughts

Life’s struggles are not wasted. They are not meaningless interruptions, but stepping stones that lead us to growth, healing, and purpose. Like Phyllis Turner Hudson, you too can rise from the ashes and find strength in the very places where you were once broken.

The next time life knocks you down, remember this: your setback is not the end of your story. It may just be the beginning of the chapter where you rise stronger, wiser, and more unstoppable than ever before.