Job 17:9 The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.
“Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” – Gever Tulley.
Resilience is the ability to spring back into shape when we stumble and fall. It is the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties. Perseverance is the tenacity to keep going. Resilience is the self-motivating endurance that helps us to bounce back and perseverance gives us the stamina to keep moving forward. Resilience is very different from being numb or oblivious about our situation; it is the resoluteness to push through the difficulty into our destiny. “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strength.” – Corrie Ten Boom.
Every New Year we receive new promises and make new resolutions. Statistics say that 75% of New Year’s resolutions are forgotten within a month. The same can be applied to the promises as well if we are not resilient and perseverant. 2023 will be a year of success and progress only to the resilient and the perseverant. Tough times don’t last but tough people do. A quintessential epitome of resilience in the Bible is Paul the Apostle. Every town he preached he was accused, falsely blamed, stoned, beaten, imprisoned and driven out, yet, he did not question God’s will, never complained, never retired nor did he give up. He was able to endure until the end and finally say, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). Paul’s ‘rubicon encounter’ with the Lord made him tough, resilient and persistent.
2023 will be a year of success, miraculous breakthroughs and victorious beginnings only to the resilient and the persistent.
Make 2023 a splendid year of triumph:
1. Pliable: The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists. “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again” – Nelson Mandela. Being pliable does not mean to be pushed around but to push through the challenges and not give up. Be pliable.
2. Flexible: Rigidity to transform, refresh and renew our thinking will break our goals and destroy success. “If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces” – Shane Koyczan. Flexibility is the humility to be ready to make alterations to the new norms. Be flexible.
3. Durable: Adversity will prove our durability. “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it” – Margaret Thatcher. One set back is not a set up for failure. Pick yourself up, learn your lessons and fight back. Sometimes we have to fight a battle more than once! Be durable.
‘What the New Year will bring to you will depend a great deal on how you begin the New Year.’ Be resilient and perseverant. 2023 will be a year of success and progress. Happy New Year!
Micah 7:15 “Yes,” says the LORD, “I will do mighty miracles for you, like those I did when I rescued you from slavery in Egypt.”
Prayer: Father God, thank you for helping me to step into a brand new year. Renew my thinking; make me pliable, flexible, and durable. Make me tough, resilient and perseverant to accomplish your plans and purpose in 2023. Amen
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