Resilience is Futile
Everyone experiences a wave that's bigger and stronger than them in the ocean of life. Perhaps that wave is death itself. What then?
The most valuable life skill isn't what most would expect. It's not technical expertise, eloquence, or even leadership (though these matter immensely!).
It's resilience. Toughness. The ability to stay anchored when everything feels uncertain.
Resilience isn't about being unshaken or unshakeable – it's about how we respond every time we're shaken. Biblical wisdom captures this truth beautifully:
"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
It’s a fact. You will be shaken. Those daily frustrations? Delayed plans? Rejected efforts? Devastating loss? They're real; you'll need a place to anchor your hope that gives lasting strength to weather the storm.
Also, remember that storms have a purpose. The verse preceding the ones I shared above says,
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7
The point isn’t that you don’t have strength or can’t build strength, but your strength won’t last the storm. It’s not about you.
We must anchor our hope in something more potent and profound than ourselves. Life will throw waves at you that are deeper and stronger than you—and in that moment, you must be anchored to the Rock to outlast the storm.
But also note, as verse seven tells us, there's a purpose in our suffering and trials. What's that purpose? God would be exalted as His clay pots (you and me!) display His surpassing glory and strength.
Listen. Clay pots weren't fancy in the Apostle Paul's day—they were ordinary, somewhat fragile vessels. Yet their weakness made them the perfect container and metaphor for displaying God's strength—just like you and me. This truth is so central that Paul later celebrates it explicitly:
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
True resilience, then, isn't about becoming unbreakable. It's about understanding that our very fragility serves a greater purpose—to make much of God's strength. When we anchor ourselves in this truth, we find strength not in avoiding storms but in letting them reveal God's greatness through us.
This isn't empty positivity or mere self-help wisdom. It's a time-tested truth: our struggles have a purpose, our weakness can showcase strength, and our resilience grows not by hardening ourselves but by anchoring ourselves to something immovable.
So the next time life shakes you, remember: the goal isn't to become unshakeable on your own. It's to be so well-anchored that you display a strength beyond yourself, even as the sea billows roll.
As always,
Stay humble. Hang tough.