A person who refuses to give up and perseveres against all odds, impresses me. Resilience is a quality that I admire in others and find essential in my own life. The psychological definition of Resilience is simply “the ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis or to return to pre-crisis status quickly”. It is the idea of rising-up after being knocked down. “In order to succeed, people need a sense of self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience to meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of life” said Albert Bandura, former Professor Emeritus of Social Science in Psychology at Stanford University.
A couple of verses for consideration:
- Proverbs 24:16, “for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” (NIV)
- 2 Corinthians 4:9 “Persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” (Tim’s interpretation is “knocked down but not knocked out!)
Three tips for building your Resilience:
- Face your fears: Hiding from fear makes it worse. Face it, and you overcome it.
- Have a moral compass: A strong feeling of right and wrong tells us we must when we feel we can’t.
- Practice Faith: Be a part of a group that has strong beliefs.
