By Gina Teeple
Director of Development & Ministry Relations
I was at a concert recently, and as the music started, a little girl began to twirl. The adults around her chuckled and immediately shifted to giver her space as she twirled and twirled and twirled.
No one was surprised when the girl fell (that is what happens when you twirl and twirl and twirl!), but no one moved toward her. Everyone silently agreed to let the girl decide for herself if she was hurt and whether she needed help.
When no one came to her aid, the girl examined the palms of her hands and knees for a moment, got up, and began to twirl again.
There is a fancy word for what the girl exhibited that day: Resilience.
The definition of resilience is “the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness” and “the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.”
So, to be resilient is to be both tough and elastic. It is enduring the fall and then springing back up.
But how do we do that? As Christians, we always look to Christ. And as we journey through Lent this year, we can specifically look to the words Christ shares with His disciples during their last meal together on Maundy Thursday.
The Gospel of John tells us on that night, “Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (13:1 NIV). How does he love them? He begins by washing their feet and tells them to do the same for others (14-15).
This must have been incredibly disorienting for the disciples, as evidenced by Peter’s reaction. But that was just the beginning. Jesus goes on to predict His own betrayal and tells Judas to do what he is about to do quickly (21-27). After Judas leaves, Jesus tells them He will only be with them a little longer, that they cannot go where He is going, and that Peter is going to deny Him (33-38).
I imagine the disciples felt very much like they had been spinning and spinning and spinning and were about to fall down.
Before they do, Jesus gives them the tools they need to be resilient after He is gone:
He gives them work to do.
Jesus gives His disciples (and us) a new commandment: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (34-35 NIV).
What an amazing motivation to get back up when life knocks us down! We have important work to do, and this work is bigger than us.
He sends help.
Jesus tells His disciples (and us), that even in our darkest times, we are never alone, and we have help.
Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (14:15-17 NIV).
God is always with us. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
He reminds them to whom they belong.
Jesus reminds His disciples (and us), that even though He is going away, they (and we) can remain in Him.
Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (15:5-8 NIV)
When we remain in Him, we will bear fruit, despite how things may appear from time-to- time.
He warns them it will not be easy.
Jesus warns His disciples (and us) that things will not be easy. He tells them (and us) that they (and we) will be persecuted.
Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (16:33 NIV).
As the disciples listened that night, they could not understand all that Jesus said. They did not yet know how Jesus would overcome death, hell, and the grave. But we do.
The next time you feel yourself bending to the point of breaking—the next time you feel you cannot recover from an injury or fall—remember, in Christ you are resilient. You can be both tough and elastic, and you can take heart.
Remember, God has given you work to do, but you are not alone in doing it. God is with you, He is for you, and He has already overcome anything the world throws your way!