Matt Roloff

And even then God was using that suffering to make me stronger. Even back then, I never had a sense of “poor me!” and today I am reaping the benefits of persevering and overcoming that adversity. Now when tough or negative things happen, I don’t spend a lot of time moaning and crying about it. I’m able to absorb them and keep a positive attitude, knowing that because of what I’ve been through already.

If that means that when Amy or I or one of the kids is sick and needs medical attention, we don’t go into self-pity mode but just get it taken care of. If that means I lose a job I needed to support my family, I say, “It might be rough for a while, but something better is going to come along,” then get out there looking for a new opportunity.

Perseverance is yet another value we have tried to instil in our children, and we do that by both encouraging and challenging them when they are going through difficult times at school or with their friends. For example, there have been times when Zachary has struggled with the way kids treat him as a little person.

We do give him some sympathy, but more important we give him a message very similar to the ones my parents gave me when I came home from school complaining and crying about the way the other kids treated me, and it’s essentially this: “You’ve got to toughen up. You’re not the only one to go through tough times, and it will get better.” In other words, Never give up!