Monday, July 23, 2012

Resilience

What is it inside of us that makes us flexible within our circumstances? Why are some people high achievers who thrive despite many obstacles, while others merely survive? I have really been pondering this recently. There are a number of things which have made me think about this. Further, why do some people retreat and wither away? I am convinced that there must be more to us than being victims of our own circumstance. 100 years ago, heartaches were much more numerous and people were expected to just move on. By all accounts, it seems like Americans were much more resilient in prior eras, as are other cultures' people today. So why have we become weak? I, personally, have endured numerous challenges in my life which were barriers to success but I have pushed on. "What other choice does one have?", I have always asked myself. From a far less-than-idyllic childhood to weathering the heartache of divorce from a cheating husband, I have learned time and again - life is hard. The older I get, the more I learn about others' pasts and there are a lot of people with very real pain, from both past and present issues. Suffice it to say, most people have at least something which still haunts them many days. Maybe their mother beat them or an uncle molested them. Or they were raised by a parent who regularly did drugs or abused alcohol. Maybe they had wilder younger years and birthed a child they couldn't care for, so they placed them up for adoption. Or they "simply" had an abortion. Or they may have tried desparately for years to have a baby, without success. Maybe they've had to endure the heartache of burying a spouse or child. I personally know people who have lived through each of these grueling scenarios. But most of the people I know dust themselves off and get back to life. Are they ever the same people after experiencing these huge knocks? No, I tend to think that they aren't. But they don't throw in the towel, either. These are largely college-educated professionals who are raising children of their own today. So why can't some people seem to continue getting up? Personally, I credit my faith in God for my ability to continue to get up when I know I didn't have the strength. The Lord really does carry us through some eras in our lives, I am convinced. But what about the Aethists of the world? How do they continue to live and even thrive? What other qualities deep inside push people to bounce back? These are all questions I have really been pondering recently. I also cannot help but wonder who is quietly hurting right in front of me. God has really placed this on my heart. I've heard it said before that we should all be kinder than necessary because you never really know what others are facing. I suppose this is ultimately the lesson I take away as well. That, and to not be a slave to the bad decision or circumstance of yesterday but to get up, dust myself off and pray for the strength to always face tomorrow. What or who do you credit for your own personal strength? What do you think drives people?

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