Resiliency
If you know my husband, you know he cares deeply for people. He's not wimpy or emotional, he is simply quietly concerned about people's well being, and if there is an opportunity for him to help someone, he does. Derik is always looking for ways to improve the lives of people he cares about, and his group of choice is often the veteran community. So, one day we were talking about the veteran community, and he mentioned that they were considered a 'vulnerable population.' This caught me off guard. While it is no secret that my mind is more occupied with numbers than people, it did seem odd to me that our former fearless warriors were now classified as 'vulnerable.' So, I asked him, "Does that make sense? While in the military a person is celebrated for their resiliency, but as soon as they get out they are told they are now vulnerable?" He explained, and I half listened, as usual. I was still caught up in the sudden change of perception.
Part of me understands the switch in classification. Warriors see some horrors of war that many civilians will never experience or understand, and this experience significantly impacts the way they function and perceive the world. However, from a logical standpoint, it still confuses me. While Derik talked, my mind went off on a tangent. I began to ask myself, "Am I resilient, and if so, what makes me resilient?" I thought about all the radio broadcasts I used to listen to in college which described the problems missionaries faced around the world. I remembered the story of one missionary who was tortured with a drill until he died. I remembered asking myself I could keep my faith through such an awful ordeal. I remembered my grandpa who would tell me I could get through anything if I just put my mind elsewhere. If I was too hot, think about a cool place. Too cold? Think about a warm place. "Happiness is a state of mind," he would tell me any time I began to complain. I even remembered my husband who would tell me that most people quit in their minds before they physically quit. But as I began to remember all these incidents, it was scripture which really came to the forefront of my thoughts.
My grandpa may have taught me to put my mind in the right place, but that wasn't his advice, it was actually biblical advice. "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." -Colossians 3:1-2
My husband may have reaffirmed that our strength doesn't come solely from our bodies, but that truth is also found in the Bible. What does Paul say during an exceedingly difficult time in jail? "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:13, and we know this is true, because it rests on the truth found in Job 42:2, “I know that you [God] can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted."
Christians are persecuted all over the world. Many more die for their faith than we will ever know. And yet, Christianity persists! What's more, Christianity doesn't just persist, it thrives! How does this happen? Wouldn't a persecuted people simply go away and die? No! God has given Christians resiliency empowered by the Holy Spirit. While we as people may feel weak and vulnerable, and while the world may want to snuff out any hint of God, the Bible tells us the truth. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
No person is resilient on their own. We are all weak and vulnerable without Christ, but God says that we are not meant to be that way. God has given us all the ability to be resilient. His Spirit gives us the power we need to endure even the most difficult circumstances. On our own, we are nothing. But because God indwells his children, we know the truth: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)
My grandpa may have taught me to put my mind in the right place, but that wasn't his advice, it was actually biblical advice. "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." -Colossians 3:1-2
My husband may have reaffirmed that our strength doesn't come solely from our bodies, but that truth is also found in the Bible. What does Paul say during an exceedingly difficult time in jail? "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:13, and we know this is true, because it rests on the truth found in Job 42:2, “I know that you [God] can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted."
Christians are persecuted all over the world. Many more die for their faith than we will ever know. And yet, Christianity persists! What's more, Christianity doesn't just persist, it thrives! How does this happen? Wouldn't a persecuted people simply go away and die? No! God has given Christians resiliency empowered by the Holy Spirit. While we as people may feel weak and vulnerable, and while the world may want to snuff out any hint of God, the Bible tells us the truth. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
No person is resilient on their own. We are all weak and vulnerable without Christ, but God says that we are not meant to be that way. God has given us all the ability to be resilient. His Spirit gives us the power we need to endure even the most difficult circumstances. On our own, we are nothing. But because God indwells his children, we know the truth: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)
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