My son Michael learned to swim when he was four years old. He was so excited; he wanted to show everyone he knew!
One afternoon, after returning from time at the pool with his grandfather, I noticed Michael’s face had turned from excitement to terror.
“What happened, Michael?” I asked.
He looked around, as if he wanted no one to hear. Then he motioned for me to bend down so he could whisper in my ear.
“Grandaddy tried to drown me,” he responded, seriously.
He then pulled back, studying my face for a reaction.
I had to hide my smile, as I knew my father-in-law well enough to understand exactly what had happened. Michael’s grandfather did what most of us parents have done—intentionally move back as our kid swims closer to us, to see how far they can make it.
My father-in-law wanted to know his grandson was not just capable of swimming a foot or two in the water; He wanted to ensure he was resilient.
The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging experiences.”
Resilience is what parents and grandparents everywhere strive to develop in the lives God has entrusted them with. It’s also what the Apostle Paul wanted for his spiritual son, Timothy.
In his early years of pastoring, Timothy desperately wanted to give up, and Paul knew it. So throughout 2 Timothy 1, Paul offered Timothy a paradigm for building a life of emotional resilience.
Paul’s pattern for building a resilient life reminds me a lot of building a house. You start with a solid foundation, add a secure structure, and complete it with beautiful finishes.
In building a resilient life, our foundation is our relationships. Paul makes this clear to Timothy in verse 5: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” Healthy, God-honoring relationships are vital in helping us stand strong throughout all of life’s seasons.
The structure of resilience is our identity and purpose. Paul explains this in verses 11-12: “And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” Hard times are much easier to endure when we know Whose we are, and why we were created.
Finally, the beauty of resilience is self-control and trust. Paul clarifies this to Timothy in verses 13-14: “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching… Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you…”Friends, as we enter 2024, let’s strive to build lives of resilience—ones that stand strong through every season, bearing undeniable testimony to God’s goodness and grace! Happy New Year!
