By Denise Miller Holmes, The Witty Wise Woman

The story of the actor Emily Blunt and the painful obstacles she faced in order to become successful, demonstrates two things: 1) Even the privileged can find it difficult to succeed, and 2) perseverance overcomes those difficulties (where there’s a will there’s a way, and all that).

Emily was born into a rich household, so you’d think success would be easy, right? But, from the ages of seven to fourteen, she experienced sever stuttering. This was so crippling, she couldn’t have a normal conversation. It left her increasingly isolated. And you know how children mock people that stutter! It’s torture for the victim and the embarrassment chips away at his or her self-esteem.

To look at Blunt now—she’s co-starred with top leading men such as Matt Damon, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson—you’d never know that she started out life with such low self-esteem.

Her rise to “overcomer” status is at least partially credited to a teacher who took her under her protective and supportive wing. She taught her how to stop stuttering.

The real breakthrough came when Blunt’s teacher got the idea for Blunt to audition for the school play. At first, she said no because she feared she would be teased, but her teacher prevailed.

Blunt got the part, and as she practiced, her stuttering improved and she gained confidence. An even bigger breakthrough came when her teacher instructed her to experiment with character voices and accents. Her stutter fell away!

Now, Emily has a vibrant career in films. She’s appeared in such hit films as Edge of Tomorrow (with Tom Cruise),Loopers (with Bruce Willis), The Adjustment Bureau (with Matt Damon), and Jungle Cruise (with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson). Not shabby!

She currently sits on the directors’ board of the organization, American Institute for Stuttering.

Of course, when we are struggling, it takes great faith and no doubting in order to persevere. Let me remind you of the fabulous verse in Jeremiah. Embrace this and you’ll find the fuel to power your steadfastness.

“. . . For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. . . .” – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)