One thing the last three years taught us is that, perhaps, we are not as resilient as we thought we were. Or at least, not as resilient as we should be. But what exactly is resilience? The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress- such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors. It means “bouncing back from difficult experiences.” In her book Building a Resilient Life, Rebekah Lyons defines resilience as “our daily, consecrated act of remembering there is something far greater than our present troubles, which offers us the power to endure and emerge.”  Resilience is the ability to be content in the acceptance of what is.

Jesus didn’t promise us an easy life. In fact, Jesus declared that “In this world you will have trouble.” However, He didn’t stop there. He followed that statement with, “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). So, while Jesus said that we would have trouble, trials, and difficulties, He also said that His grace is sufficient for us and that His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9). Therefore, we learn to live resiliently by fixing our eyes on Jesus as He strengthens our faith. We trust Him in all circumstances and rely on Him to overcome. As the apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Cor 4:16-18).

Thrive: Living Resilient and Renewed is a workbook by the nonprofit organization Grace Alliance. The book takes on a whole health approach to mental health and wellness by focusing on four key areas: physical, mental/emotional, spiritual, and relational wellness.  The workbook takes a scriptural approach for looking into God’s heart and design for us in each area. It also gives concrete practical tools, so that anyone can learn to live a resilient life; a life of renewed faith, life, purpose, and relationships. Let’s take a look at three of the spiritual wellness components examined in the Thrive workbook.

God
God sees, hears, and cares about our lives. When we hurt, He hurts. When we are secure in our relationship with God, our anxious thoughts can be relieved and our troubled hearts can be calmed. Our God is a God of abundance on our good and our bad days. We build a resilient life by drawing near to God and reflecting on his goodness. Reading the bible and studying the truth of God’s word is the perfect way to change the narrative in our brain from lies to truth. God gives us the gift of His word and we can fill our minds with it day and night.      
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isa 26:3).  

Hope
Hope is not positivity or wishful thinking. In both Hebrew and Greek, hope is translated as “a strong and confident” expectation or outcome (Heb 11:1). Therefore, hope is not just a feeling; it is action-based and a starting point for change. Hope can foster a firmness of mind and spirit, and courage in the face of hardship. God is our living hope; He nurtures us and He looks after us. We can place our hope in God because He is faithful. He will remain with us no matter what we are dealing with. As we trust God in the hard times, our hope grows too.  
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13).

Prayer
Prayer and worship with gratitude are great ways to keep a spirit of resilience through adversity.  We can take all our pain and suffering directly to Jesus in prayer. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” When your strength is depleted physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, stop and spend time alone with the one who can give you rest and refresh your soul. The gift of prayer is available to each of us. The Lord wants us to bring our stresses, anxieties, insecurities and tears to Him because we have a God with infinite understanding who will sustain us in our times of need.  

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you” (Isa 41:13).

At some point, everyone will face circumstances they would rather not walk through. Scripture tells us to run the race that is marked out for us with perseverance (Heb 12:1). Resilience is faithful perseverance and by cultivating a holy resilience, we can run our race well. We can face our adversity courageously, and be strengthened by it.

Source: Thrive: Living Resilient and Renewed. Mental Health Grace Alliance, 2023.