My word for the year! I have dealt a lot with new experiences over the last couple years. I have undergone a lot of change and been exposed to a new lifestyle and to many new things I had never known before. Some of these changes have caused difficulty for me and some of them have given me great joy. As strange as it sounds, some of the things that have caused me great joy have also caused me great trouble and sadness. I am learning that resilience is a very important characteristic that I need in order to live my life that revolves around so much change.
Resilience isn't ignoring our pain and or troublesome situation, but handling it in a way that we refuse to let it destroy us. We can't pretend we aren't hurt. We can't push aside our feelings. There is a time for processing all the pain but in the end allowing that same pain to grow us and make us a better person. To let the difficulty we just experienced impact us in a positive way so that we can keep moving forward into Christ-like character. Reflect back on your year and the things you have experienced. Do you see yourself recovering quickly from those things that brought you difficulty, or is God asking you to be resilient in your current situation? Joseph is a perfect example of resilience. He was sold into slavery by his own brothers, and later spent time in jail for a crime he didn't commit. Many years passed as he was experiencing difficulty but his positive outlook saw the good that could come from such despair. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. (Genesis 50:20)
It is possible for you and me to have this same attitude toward our pain and difficulties. If we can trust God completely, we too can recover from difficult situations successfully, just like Joseph did. Paul knew of this same kind of resilience. He was tortured, thrown in prison, underwent condemnation and a whole host of difficulties, but every time he looked past the pain toward God and the reward that was waiting for Him. He never allowed his negative situations to affect him in a negative way. This year I want this resilience! I want to have this positive outlook and I want the strength to grow successfully from my pain.
That is why I am suffering here in prison, but I am not ashamed of it, for I know the One in whom I trust and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return.
2 Timothy 1:12
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