Author Description

Are You Resilient? Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (NKJV) What do we do as Followers of Christ, when circumstances careen out of control, and we no longer understand what is going on? As believers, how do we react when the confidence we have in our faith is shaken? What happens when our theology and what we believe about God is called into question in a moment’s time? How do we deal with situations that are so uncomfortable we can barely make sense of them? How can we possibly prepare ourselves for these moments? How do we develop the backbone of steel needed to take us through them? All too often when these things happen, people slide off the road of their faith and back into the world’s ways. They get mad at God and give up on Him. Their anger turns into resentment and even full-blown rebellion. What started as misunderstanding and deep hurt, ends up becoming the reason they turn to atheism or some other spiritual belief; five, ten, or twenty years later: circumstances they could not explain.A Far Better Outcome There is another possible outcome: resilience. It is the term we use when people bounce back from horrible experiences. Resilience is the grace to remain strong after going through something that almost breaks you. How do we find that resilience? How can we prepare to be resilient before life’s unexpected setbacks hit us in the face? That is what this Trimester is about. Together, we are about to explore the underpinnings of faith that lead us in one of two major directions: to give up or to be resilient.