Do you know that there is a price of building resilience?
We all want to build resilience but often we don’t realize that there is a price for that. Are we willing to pay this price?
Here is a sneak peek of my guest post for Koinonia at Medium.com in which I share how to survive shaking without breaking and become resilient and mature in the process.
Remember to pin for later!
The Price of Building Resilience
When I think about resilience, I imagine a tree. The wind blows, and the storm rages around the tree. It bends in all directions, but it stands. It is not breaking. When the storm is gone, the tree is still there–bruised, having lost leaves and branches, but still standing.
Are we still standing when the storm is gone? #resilience #suffering #growth #encouragement Share on XI picture a house, too. This house is planted on a rock, on a high hill beside the sea. The waters of the sea are dangerous and unpredictable. They can be calm and soothing, sparkling in gold and offering a feast for the eye.
Suddenly, they can turn into a raging monster: dark, powerful tsunami waves attacking everything on the way, carrying losses and destruction.
But the house on the rock stands. It may lose a roof or a few walls, and it may be covered with mud and debris, but it still stands.
Shaking but Still Standing
My word for the year 2020 was “stand.” I started this practice back then to choose prayerfully a word for the year, often accompanied by scripture. I was happy about this word but I failed to understand that it contained a serious warning: storms and shaking are coming.
Indeed, the year 2020 and beyond brought into my life the greatest tragedy, various losses, and multiple painful transitions. A hurricane of intense grief, anguish, hopelessness, and disillusionment in faith swirled around me and shook me to the core. My heart and world were falling apart.
How was I supposed to survive this shaking without being destroyed in the process?
I didn’t possess the strength to do this–a finite, feeble human, a jar of clay.
Read the rest of the post at Medium.com to learn how we can learn to stand in the storms of life and what would this cost us.
Learn Why and How God Uses Suffering to Shape Us in DRAW NEAR
You can learn more about how God uses pain and hardships to shape us and mature us in my new book, “Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings.”
Do you want to draw near to God when you are tempted to pull away amidst painful and traumatic experiences? Do you long for the transformation of your painful story into a story of preparation, empowerment, fruitfulness, and growth?
Let me take you on a journey through 13 painful experiences, showing the precious blessings in each of them.
Let me take you on a journey through 13 painful experiences showing precious blessings in each of them in my new book "Draw Near." #drawnearbook #losses #growth #blessings #bookrecommendation Share on X
More Encouragement for You
If you need more resources, encouragement, and comfort when you go through pain, suffering, and shaking, I can highly recommend these books. Check them out.
Trusting God in All the Things: 90 Devotions for Finding Peace in Your Every Day by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk
Make Up Your Mind: Unlock Your Thoughts, Transform Your Life by Denise Dubois Pass and Michelle Nietert
Life Can Be Good Again by Lisa Appelo
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lisa Terkeurst
Hope When Life Unravels: Finding God When It Hurts by Adam Dooley
Restoration Year – a 365 Days Devotional by John Eldredge
All Things New by John Eldredge
Hope for the Hard Days by Sarah Geringer
Lean into Grace by Stacey Pardoe
This page contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. The commission I make from these items will help keep this blog going. Thank you!
Your Turn
Are you going through pain and suffering right now? How can you lean on God’s strength so you can endure the trial? Share in the comments and on social media if you found this article helpful. Thank you!
The price of building resilience: how to survive shaking without breaking and become resilient and mature in the process. #spiritualgrowth #resilience #encouragment Share on XDo you want to watch this post as a vlog? Click HERE. If you found it helpful, please subscribe to my YouTube channel. Thanks!
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I used to do word of the year as well. I found that whatever word I selected, I would be challenged in that way. I thought I recently read a biblical passage, maybe it was here, about this very thing about receiving such challenges. I think it is a huge thing to write a book! Huge congratulations!!! I want to get this book when I am able!
Thanks, Julie! I found the practice of selecting a word for the year very helpful and insightful. Thanks also for your interest in my book. Yes, it is a huge milestone for me and a dream accomplished. Praising God for that!
Amazing perspective on the price of building resilience in our lives. I love the analogy of the tree and life after a storm and how it can be bruised, without leaves – but, not broken.
Thanks, Debbie! I have felt many times like such a tree surviving a storm. But God is faithful. When we lean on Him we can survive and overcome.
Yes, it’s true that in order to be resilient, we must endure storms. I’m so glad God is there through it all. Thank you for your wise thoughts and insights, as always.
Thanks, Lisa! It is really good to remember this when we are in the middle of a storm. Blessings!
This blog is a poignant reminder of the often-overlooked costs of building resilience. It beautifully captures the challenges and triumphs that come with this journey, offering valuable insights into the true price we pay for resilience. Thank you for sharing such a thought-provoking and inspiring piece!
Thanks so much, Catherine! I am so glad that you found this article thought-provoking and inspiring. Blessings to you!