31/05/2023
RESILIENCE
We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 2 Corinthians 4:8 NKJV
How can we stay strong when the storms of life hit? True faith is tested by trials just as Gold is proved by fire; no one is proud of quitters. Everyone wants to run the race of life and finish well.
True identity in Christ does not deny our frequent failures but it deals with them differently. Resilience suggests an optimistic approach to adversities. โIt is the ability to bounce back when those unwelcome changes occurโ. The ability to face struggles and then move on in life.
Resilience entails a set of behavioral pattern, thoughts and actions displayed while the life challenges and adversaries confront. Call it a guide to facing lifeโs challenges โ it comes in form of believing in yourself. It is not a trait, rather a set of skills that can be taught. It is a process that emerges only when you are faced with the challenges.
Craving for things to be good again is one of the deepest yearnings of the human heart. Individuals have the power of choice on how to respond to threatening circumstances he finds himself. It is not about how intelligent you are, rather planning hard to win โ giving it your best.
At low points of life, it is important we stay at our task and be flexible in our approach. The keyword is flexibility, ability to develop adaptive mechanism which enables us resist and reorganize ourselves after traumatic experiences.
Henry Beecher enthuses โHold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself โ and be lenient to everybody elseโ.
There are definitive ways and means of confronting and overcoming the numerous problems and the attendant complexities in life with the right help and divine guidance โ determination, strength, fortitude, tact and nearness to God. โDraw near to God and He will draw near to you" James 4:8.
Consider going back to the โdrawing boardโ. Express gratitude, it helps to dwell on the positive, take charge of your life, avoid excuses, be alert at all times; Luke 21:36, ask for help and communicate your needs effectively, be disciplined; Hebrew 12:1-3. "Lay aside every weightโ, live authentic life, develop goals and realistic plans, shun a repeat of past behavior that could have negative consequences, set boundaries, avoid seeing crisis as insurmountable.
Prayer:
Lord grant me the grace to withstand and push through the challenges of life.