Many people could spend a lifetime finding one’s purpose. It has been one of the most pursued quests by humanity ever since the dawn of time, finding answers to why they exist and where they’re going. As bestselling author and motivational speaker Cornell Windel Bunting said, “For the one who has found his or her purpose, life is beautiful. For the one who is living devoid of purpose, life can be an intolerable hell.” Through his new book, Escaping the Darkness: Using Adversity to Find Purpose, the author hopes to help readers fill a hole in their existence.
Having a purpose leads to a more meaningful life. People facing adversity without finding purpose may find life to be pointless. On the other hand, to those who did find their purpose, every adversity has a meaning, contributing to one’s growth over time. Hence, Escaping the Darkness wanted people to see adversity as a means of finding one’s purpose. The author believes that in the midst of chaos, people can learn more about themselves. Along the way, people will find a way to reframe their adversity, no longer seeing them as stumbling blocks but as tools for success.
“Adversity comes to us all,” said Bunting. “Sometimes it comes to us in droplets—one at a time. But at other times, the floodgates open, and adversity surges over our life in a rushing river. We fear that we will be consumed, drowned, and swept away by it. Adversity is an equal opportunity destroyer. It does not care if your collar is white or blue,” he shared further.
Furthermore, Escaping the Darkness amplifies that adversity is inevitable. It has challenged people over centuries, even the world’s greatest thinkers, and pushed them out of their comfort zones. The challenge, according to the author, is to allow one’s purpose to guide him or her through adversities. Having a clear sense of purpose will keep an individual from drowning from pain, loss, and challenges. Adversity will no longer be capable of deteriorating one’s spirit, but it will lead one to discover the path written before one was even born. Escaping the Darkness seeks to remind readers that they may have been unaware of living with the divine intervention that leads them to find meaning in life.
“Sometimes, adversity is needed to remind us of our purpose,” shared the author. Escaping the Darkness wants readers to find clarity amid their darkness. “As the lovely Bible verse in Isaiah promises, you will discover a pathway through the wilderness and water in the desert. You will be renewed and refreshed as you see a way through the deep waters. And you will see that the fires of adversity burn up all that does not serve you. This desert imagery is rich with power and promise,” Bunting explained further.
In many works of literature, life is often compared to the deserts, rivers, and seas. The metaphors have guided people to make more sense of life through the characteristics of such earthly bodies. Escaping the Darkness takes its audience through a journey as it aims to bring people back to faith and believe that a divine power has laid out a path for each individual.
Escaping the Darkness contains ten lessons, teaching readers how to see adversity as means to illuminate their priorities, develop perseverance, uncover purpose, clear out complacency, train the soul, find the path to ascension, conquer fear, create a new path, clarify vision, and strengthen one’s foundation. The book ends with a chapter aiming to help readers reinvent their lives for the better.
To learn more about Escaping the Darkness, visit Cornell Windel Bunting’s official website.
