R is for: Resiliency
“The good folks mostly win,
courage usually triumphs over fear, the family dog hardly ever contracts
rabies; these are the things I knew at twenty-five, and things I still know
now, at the age of 25 X 2. But I know something else as well: there’s a place
in most of us where the rain is pretty much constant, the shadows are always
long, and the woods are full of monsters. It is good to have a voice in which
the terrors of such a place can be articulated and its geography partially described,
without denying the sunshine and clarity that fill so much of our ordinary
lives.” –Stephen King (April 16, 1996)
If I’ve learned anything through trials and travails, it’s
that even though life seems short, ephemeral, and progress only seen dimly as
through a dark opaque window; there is always the power to rise to the moment,
and summon the courage to change. This is my voice articulating a vision of the geography of the dark places we face; and after so many years--maybe even some of those
affected by 9/11 have navigated out of the dark forest.
Freedom Tower, Manhattan
Even when one seems too old, tired, or uncomprehending of
how to alter their course; by taking deliberate steps down another path, I’ve
seen durable people transform themselves and their situations remarkably. "In
a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning,"
said F. Scott Fitzgerald; however, let me assure you, there is always a way out,
the morning after.
Sometimes it means realistically dropping one dream, now
cumbersome baggage; developing another set of goals. Other than developing a
love to read and learn; this might be one of the keys to unlocking life’s
complexities, and is certainly something I want to bestow upon my children:
resiliency.
Those fortunate to have their wits and health, living in
this great land of opportunity, and with God’s sovereign blessing, can get up
one morning and resolve to change; indeed, one’s path is never set in granite.
Killing inertia is itself an early skirmish in this brutal, continual, wearisome
war.
Standing with your feet firmly planted allows one to gaze
out and ponder a new course; even though the road looks twisted and crooked
through the brambles and brush of rural forest. Sometimes it seems too
overgrown and dark to find your way. Don’t give up! Keep looking for the light,
and if necessary, hack your own way out till you find the dirt road for which
you yearn.
Once the new path is found and begun by faith; the energy to
meet the new challenges will appear; although, this river of energy fueling a
fresh endeavor is not always apparent. Sometimes you tap into its power like a
hydro-electric plant, or otherwise jump in, just riding with the flow. This
process isn't instantaneous. It requires patience, strength, and resiliency
founded in a higher power, or should I say “outside yourself?”
Others may call the new path: too risky, or pronounce early
failure. Valuable are those friends who support and encourage: every single,
solitary one is an angel sent from above. Thank them when you get back on your
feet. And don’t be too sure who the angels are; some of those closest to you
will disappear at the moment you need them most.
All your days have prepared you for the battle now raging;
take the step forward in faith and fire the first shot.
“Now God has us
where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next, to shower
grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his
work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from
start to finish. We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go
around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save
ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ
Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us
to do, work we had better be doing.” Ephesians 2 (The Message--Copyright © Eugene H. Peterson)
“There dwells upon this earth a
mysterious Being, whose office is to renew the fallen and restore the
wandering… His chosen residence is a broken heart and a contrite heart.”
–Charles Spurgeon
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©Mark H. Pillsbury (2014)
