#ProjectC61920 Day 12: Mental Resiliency
Resiliency is defined as “the
power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being
bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.” This means mental resiliency is
the ability to not be shaken (as my
oldest daughter loves to recite, ad nauseum) when difficult circumstances would
otherwise bend us out of shape. The ability to take a punch makes you last
longer in a fight. Likewise, if you’re able to bend (and not break) when an
unanticipated situation arises, you’ll find a lot more confidence and a lot
less drama in your life.
In order for us to even begin building the house of mental
resilience, we must set the foundation (Matt.
7:24-27). We must ask ourselves, “What are my core beliefs?” What is it
that you know for sure, no matter what happens, is true and immovable? In order
to ask these questions, we must disregard the humanistic futility that is relativism. Relativism says that truth,
morality, and even knowledge are subjective, and therefore not absolute. Now
before you start telling me that only the Sith deal in absolutes, I put to you
that every single human being believes in absolutes. Without absolutes, no
society in the world could function. Here’s an excerpt from a book I’ve just
recently finished, C. S. Lewis’s Mere
Christianity:
But how had I got this idea of
just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some
idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when
I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z,
so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find
myself in such violent reaction against it? A man feels wet when he
falls into water, because man is not a water animal: a fish would not feel
wet. Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it
was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my
argument against God collapsed too—for the argument depended on saying that the
world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please
my private fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did
not exist—in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless—I found
I was forced to assume that one part of reality—namely my idea of
justice—was full of sense.
When you really think about it, relativism is a child’s
attempt to avoid losing a game by changing the rules, mid-game.
So what are some Christian, Biblical beliefs (a.k.a.
doctrines) that we can—and should—hold onto?
What is the Bible?
If you’re going to accept
instruction from it, you must acknowledge that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God for our good (2
Timothy 3:16). If you believe that the Bible has even one error in it, then
the entire thing becomes subjective and untrustworthy.
Who am I?
Knowing the answer to this
question will answer 95% of the philosophical debates that man has ever had. For
the entirety of existence, man has grappled with this question. And yet, the
question is only difficult (actually impossible) to answer if you remove God’s
truth from the equation. The Bible tells us very plainly: We are His creation,
made by Him and for Him. We are people with whom God desires a relationship. We
are dependent on Him for life and purpose. For a great list to review about
some attributes of who we are in Christ, go here.
Who is God?
We must acknowledge that God is the Sovereign Creator of everything (John
1:1-3, 5). He created everything, and everything is His to command, with or
without its knowledge or consent. If we do not accept this truth, then we will
never be able to move on to anything else. This will define your relationship
with God, with your spouse, and with everyone and everything else in the world.
As I remember Pastor John Hagee saying, “Either Jesus is Lord of all, or he’s
not Lord at all.”
What is the role of the Church?
The Church is the Bride of Christ
and just as Eve was made for Adam, we are to further the Kingdom and cause of
Christ in the world and the next. The list of commands we are to obey as
Christians (and subsequently as the church) is as long as the Bible is thick,
but if we boil it down to the primary pillars of the Church, we are to know God
and make Him known to the world (1
Corinthians 1:23, Matthew
28:18-20, Acts
2:42). A great resource to read on the role of the Church is The
Purpose-Driven Chruch by Rick Warren.
So what do we do with this information? With the previous
questions answered, we are able to more boldly go forward in our lives, knowing
these things to be true and unshakable because they are based on the truth of
the Word.
1.
Commit to the path, even if you don’t know it.
o
God will lead you one day at a time. Pray to Him
and ask Him for guidance in both big and small decisions.
o
Document your commitments and review them
regularly. When you say you’re going to do something, write it down and get
someone to hold you accountable.
o
If you take the path to God, you can be sure it
will not be a paved path.
o
Don’t let your being offended force someone to
defend themselves. Being resilient means standing strong, but don’t force
others to change to save yourself from being bent yourself. Remember, God
changes people, not us (Romans
12:18).
o
Be willing to endure persecution and adversity.
Satan will send his hordes against you, but remember: People are never our enemy; Satan, our sin nature, and the world
system are the real enemy (2
Corinthians 10:3, Ephesians
6:12).
3.
Embrace challenges from time to time; get out of
your comfort zone
4.
Recognize the power and role of your emotions.
o
Do not let your emotions ruin your progress.
Emotions aren’t evil, but they are powerful and the immature let their emotions
sway with every breeze (Ephesians
4:14).
o
Master your emotions; don’t repress them. Seek
to align them with God’s truth, then you can revel in them.
Lay a foundation. Stand on it. Invite others onto it.
#walkwithme
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