Salt, Light, and Second-Milers - Part 1

Sometimes life is so hectic, a trouble-free day appears impossible. The  smallest task that should take only a moment turns into such complexity that a whole day seems to evaporate. Life on the front burner takes energy and determination to resist defeat rather than to dissolve into frustration and anger. Discouragement has the power to control any situation.

God has given us the capacity to change, regardless of how diminished that capacity feels to us. Where there is motivation to find solutions, no problem is insurmountable. Resilient people learn to activate faith and hope to serve as a channel for transcending anger and frustration. Faith and hope create order and dignity, even in chaos and pain.

Jesus, in Matthew 5:41, instructs his listeners to be second-mile people, giving more than what's required to any challenge. Second-milers know they'll be rewarded, if only by enhancing their integrity. Life is complicated and hectic, so keep your attitude fixed on faith in Christ Jesus. Faith is God's gift to you. 

Positive Change: Resist It or Embrace It? - Part 3

The word apprehend brings up images of police officers' taking into custody those who deliberately violate the laws of our country. My childhood years were spent in a small Texas farming community that employed one deputy sheriff, who in all those years took into custody only two teen-aged boys for violations of the law.

The Apostle Paul used the word apprehend to express a spiritual desire. His goal was to be apprehended by Christ Jesus; to be filled with his power so he could complete the mission for which Jesus had called him. He asked God for strength, endurance, resilience, and maturity to spread the word that God sent Jesus to save all humanity.

Paul's encounter with Jesus changed how he perceived himself and how he would serve God for the rest of his life. As God created in Paul maturity which enabled him to do his work, He also established in him resilience to stand up and fight every attempt to distract him from his calling. The Lord Jesus Christ will do this for you. 

Resilience: Character Strength for Survival - Part 2

Suffering is inescapable. Most people experience a balance between suffering and pleasure which life generates for each of us. Very few people enjoy suffering or deliberately seek it out, yet there are those who seem to be stuck in its embrace. Resilience is a character attribute that makes it possible to manage suffering.

Listen to Saint Paul from Philippians 3. "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering." This empowered Paul to finish the task Jesus commissioned him to do. Listen to his determination. "I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Resilience is so ingrained that giving up is unthinkable.

You can be empowered by Christ Jesus to endure hardships and suffering. Regardless of how drastic your situation may be, God will help you reap the benefits of growing stronger in your faith as you mature, grow stronger, become kinder, and learn to care for others. Achieving these strengths of character is a worthy objective.  

Resilience: Character Strength for Survival - Part 1

When reading biographies of Christian martyrs, it's impossible not to be amazed by their character strength to endure hardship and pain. They refused to give in to pressures and temptations and abandon their commitment to Christ and his church. Their faith paralleled St. Paul's, who was willing to face death rather than default on his faith in Christ. "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day."

President John F. Kennedy acknowledged this strength of character. "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Defectors and traitors usually are despised because they portray a weakness of character like Judas, who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

Resilience is a character strength that enables each of us to overcome adversity and hardships we're bound to face. Pain is inescapable, but St. Paul declared that he rejoiced in suffering because he knew that suffering produced perseverance, another good synonym for resilience. Standing up to adversity strengthens your faith in Christ Jesus. 

Choosing at the Crossroads - Part 3

A word picture from the New Testament portrays Jesus pressing on toward the task that lay before him. He refused to be distracted. In the days before his crucifixion, he was determined to press on toward Jerusalem to meet his critics, his enemies, and those who loved and cared for him. He knew God's purpose for his life.

He was tempted by Satan to take the easy road. His disciples and friends begged him to bypass the cross, but he stayed on course. Where did this unrelenting resilience come from that enabled him to accomplish God's purpose? Resilience is a character quality that balances determination and pain in the pursuit of given objective.

Resilience does not indicate the absence of weakness that makes a person subject to fatigue, grief, or even physical handicaps. Under-girding resilience is faith that overrides anxiety and fear or even discouragement. Faith is a gift from God that's available to all who believe in Christ Jesus who ask for it,  gladly accept it, and use it for God's purpose.