Episode #64 Resilient Endurance – Intentional Living

Hey, friend, are you facing challenges right now that just feel crazy and different than anything you've walked through before?

If you're walking through an intense season, no matter what form that comes in, this episode is for you because we're talking with God about ways that we can reframe our mindset and tap into his strength to build resilience even in the tough seasons.

I have been navigating a variety of challenges over the past few years. Some can feel exciting, and some feel painful. Sometimes it's just the busyness of life and so many things compiling into the same timeframe.

No matter what challenges or struggles you're facing, I have found that in a variety of circumstances, the mindset, and the way that I view the season that I'm walking through carries great significance. And so that's what we're talking with God about today.

Sometimes the strength that we need to persevere or to keep going, simply comes from shifting our attention to focusing on God in the midst of our circumstance with us. Where I can be drawn to look at the thing itself, or to focus on how I'm feeling about it and, and how difficult or painful something is, I instead, am constantly invited by God to turn my attention back to him.

Not to ignore or pretend that I don't feel those painful things. But to acknowledge them and to bring them to God, and to ask for his help as I process them, or steward them, or reconsider things. And how I can receive his strength even in the middle of difficult circumstances.

The passage I'll read for us today is from Romans 5:3-5.

And it says,

"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

Today we're talking about building resilience and there's a lot of different approaches that we can take to building in rhythms for rest and replenishment. Looking for the silver lining in things, expressing gratitude and having people in our corners who will help us walk through heavy seasons, so we don't feel like we have to walk them alone.

I encourage you if you're going through a difficult season, talk with God about any and all of those things. But the part that's been, especially on my heart today, is the difference that comes when we're able to acknowledge the suckiness, the pain, and the difficulty, and the turmoil of the hardship, and also step back or maybe for you step closer in, to see what God is doing in the midst of all of it.

I love that hope does not put us to shame. No matter what we are walking through because it is produced by the character that is produced by the endurance that is produced in the suffering. And even as we walk through all of those challenges, we never walk alone because the Holy Spirit has poured God's love into our hearts.

I don't love the process of growing in resilience, but I always appreciate being more resilient afterward. And so sometimes it's the process that we endure as we walk through the hard thing, as we walk through the suffering. To trust that God will produce endurance in us, which will develop our character and produce hope, which does not put us to shame. And I can look back over past seasons of my life and be grateful for the resilience I have today because of what was forged in my character, because of how God walked with me and strengthened me through that past difficult thing.

Sometimes the strength that I need in the moment is simply the reminder that this can produce endurance in me. But it's not going to happen automatically, it's a choice to allow that to come about.

So, with whatever you're facing today, my encouragement is to ask God what revelation he wants to give you about it.

Maybe God wants to talk with you about a past season that you would see the fruit that's already been born in your life. That he would bring revelation of the resilience you received. Or maybe God wants to talk with you about the current season you're in. Either way, here's our question to bring to God today:

God, will you help me see how challenges have grown my resilience?

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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