Resilience: It’s Time to Get UpНамуна

 We weren’t created to muscle through problems and challenges on our own. Rather, we were created to rely on God and His power to help us face the darkness.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes, “So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power” (2 Corinthians 12:10, TPT).

When we rely on the strength of our Savior, trials will not ruin us. They refine us.

What the enemy sends to destroy becomes a display of His glorious might, no matter how big or small, mundane or extraordinary. He is present in our everyday stress. When we are empty, He gives us His fullness. When we are mired in adversity, He enables us to develop resilience. If we trust in His strength, our strength grows accordingly. And as our capacity to get back up, move on, and keep trying despite any failures or roadblocks we encounter grows, our own composure is increasingly cultivated.

You may be wondering how this all plays out. Typically, when we encounter a threatening, stressful, or otherwise unpleasant situation, our fight or flight instinct flares up. That is our emotional response and should be heeded with great caution. If we rely solely upon our emotions or intuition to make decisions, we don’t allow God to play into the decision-making process, and, more often than not, those choices fall through. 

This is where we must make a shift from impulse to critical thought. When we take a beat and regain our composure, we will discover a sense of clarity that allows us to think clearly, be decisive, focus, and free ourselves of distraction. Once we achieve this, creativity can emerge, informing our problem-solving capabilities. If we manage to maintain the right perspective, we will have a vision in front of us, the Spirit within us, and wisdom granted to us.