We all face adversity in life. Adversity, trials and suffering, if intense, can make us or break us. As Randi G. Fine puts it in her inspiring new book, Awaken from Life: “When life places a wall in our path we have two choices… we can beat our head against it, or we can figure out a way to get around it.”
But figuring a way to get around moments of misfortune or suffering goes far beyond a mental exercise. It demands resilience, a resilience that is rooted in a tenacity of spirit – a determination to embrace all that makes life worth living even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Amid our struggles it is tempting to try and figure out why certain things have happened to us. This often brings us to a point of exhaustion and a sense of helplessness.
As Christians we are reminded to “trust the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding, in all ways acknowledge Him, and He will make our paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) It is more powerful and ultimately sane to trust that we are walking on a God-ordained path, a path that only He knows where it will lead…
Nurturing our spiritual life through self-reflection, meditating on Scripture and participating in the life of the Church, we come to develop through God’s abounding grace, a clear sense of identity and purpose, a life of hope and a vision for a better future. We can face life’s difficulties with courage and patience – refusing to give up.
Resilience is the quality of character that allows a person or group of people to rebound from misfortune, hardships and traumas. We come to a realisation that the struggles we are facing today are developing the strength we need for tomorrow.
People engaged in religion experience greater happiness and life satisfaction and recover faster after loss and life crisis than spiritually dehydrated people
The strong correlation that exists between spiritual well-being and resilience to face our daily trials or difficult moments is backed by international research. Regular engagement with religious and spiritual activities strengthens social networks and connectedness to family and friends. In a major review of the links between religious involvement and human flourishing, it was found that people engaged in religion experience greater happiness and life satisfaction and recover faster after loss and life crisis than spiritually dehydrated people (Myers (2008).
But these research findings should not come as a surprise to committed Christians. The findings assert the wisdom of Scripture which abounds in exhortations conducive to building a resilient character through the life in the Spirit.
St Paul spoke from his own experience of suffering: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
This echoes Isaiah’s prophecy: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (Isaiah 43:2)
To have a spiritual well-being is to have an inner peace and a sense of connection with our creator. It is a way of contemplating the Divine action in all that happens around us and in us. It is a conscious awareness of ‘finding God in all things’, even in adversity and suffering, that goes beyond our frail human understanding.
In our adversity the pain is there. It has to be acknowledged. But in the midst of this pain we find an inner strength, a resilience that carries us forward. It is the hope we are never alone and that God “will never leave us, nor forsake us”. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
When the wind blows hard on a tree, the roots stretch and grow stronger. Let it be so with us. Let us not be weaklings, yielding to every wind that blows, but strong in spirit to resist. (Amy Carmichael)
gordon@atomserve.net
Gordon Vassallo is an accredited spiritual guide at the Centre for Ignatian Spirituality.