Resilience
Resilience 4: When Possessions Perish
May 29, 2022
Sometimes things beyond our control happen which threaten to diminish or remove our possessions, and that can be scary for us. But Jesus took all of our guilt and brokenness upon himself to open the door for us to a new and much better life with him. With him as our greatest treasure, we have everything we need. (Based on Matthew 6:25-34.)
Resilience 3: When Striving Fails
May 22, 2022
It is disheartening when we are not able to accomplish what we desire. But the solution is not to try harder. Instead, God calls us to look at our desires. Often they are misaligned and being only one degree off course means that we never arrive at our intended destination. By resting in Jesus and letting him transform our affections, we focus our efforts in a new direction as we seek to help God’s goodness to grow throughout the world. (Based on Matthew 11:25-30.)
Resilience 2: When Family Flees
May 15, 2022
One of the hardest things to deal with is a relationship breakdown within a family. Ideally, these are the closest relationships we should have, so it is especially painful when those relationships are fractured. In our grief and sorrow, we turn to Jesus, and through the relationship we have with him, we have a perfect Parent, an ideal Brother, and a faithful Encourager who keeps reminding us of who we really are: a beloved, forgiven child of God. With the rest of God’s children around the world and throughout time, we are a new family, the family of God. (Based on Mark 3:20-35.)
Resilience 1: When Health Declines
May 8, 2022
Because all of us are broken humans living in a broken world, we will all face health challenges at some point in our lives. Preventing such things from happening is beyond our control. But we do control how we respond when health declines. So we look to Jesus. Because he took up our infirmities on the cross and nullified their power to destroy us, we know that the physical healing we long for will happen on the Day of Resurrection. In the meantime, we give Jesus all authority in our lives so he can do his healing work in our soul. (Based on Matthew 8:5-17.)