Minimalism and Resilience

There are a lot of ideas about what minimalism can do for us.   When you cut out the excess “stuff” you have more free time. You have less to keep up with, and your expenses are lowered.   Today I want to discuss a word that all of us should really learn and strive to make part of our day-to-day mindset.

If we can get this attribute into our daily action steps, believe me, it will allow us to have a more consistent life.    I want to talk about the word:  Resilience.

The dictionary defines Resilience as:

1.  the power or ability of a material to return to its original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.
2.  the ability of a person to adjust to or recover readily from illness, adversity, major life changes, etc.; buoyancy.
3.  the ability of a system or organization to respond to or recover readily from a crisis or disruptive process.

As a Christian, almost daily you will be stretched to your limit and face adversity.   Can you quickly recover from hard times?   We can when we have faith in God.    When we ask God for faith, he has promised to give us our desires.

Who in the bible was the ultimate example of resilience besides our Savior Jesus Christ?    I think after Christ, the first person that comes to my mind is the apostle Paul.

2Co 6:4  But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 
2Co 6:5  In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 
2Co 6:6  By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 
2Co 6:7  By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 

Paul was a man who never gave up, no matter the circumstances.   He knew that God was the one who helped and guided him every day of his life.   Through Christ, Paul could do all things.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

We are commanded in Romans to not be conformed to this world, but have a mindset geared towards doing the perfect will of God in our lives.

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 
Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 

To have resilience, you will certainly need to have a lot of determination.   All of these things work hand in hand to make you a person who is very productive in your life.   By being determined, you keep on when others quit.  When you have determination, little setbacks are just those.  Failure is never failure until you quit getting back up and fighting another round.   Paul told the church at Phillipi that he had no confidence in his flesh, but he looked to God with faith to help him have the resilience to keep on keeping on.

Php 3:1  Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. 
Php 3:2  Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. 
Php 3:3  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 
Php 3:4  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 
Php 3:5  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 
Php 3:6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 
Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 
Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 
Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 
Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 
 
And what goes with determination?   Absolutely it is persistence.   Day after day you fight again and again.   Failures come and failures go, but you don’t give up.   Having mule-like determination will allow you to overcome almost any resistance you come up against.   Thomas Edison tried over 14,000 tests in trying to create the light bulb.   When his assistant said after a few months, let’s give this up.   It can’t be done.   Edison was reported to have said, “No.  We just now know over 10,000 ways that won’t work.”   
 
Robert Cavett, a great motivater, once said: “You don’t drown by falling into water, you only drown if you stay there.   It’s all right to get down, but don’t get down on yourself.”     All of us stumble, but resilience and determination make us keep on going when it is not going our way.
 
In sales, I have heard most salesmen give up after being told “no” 3 times.    But successful salesmen know that the ‘no’ is not personal, and you just have to keep on trying.   One of the greatest salesmen I ever met told me that he has found that it takes 30 attempts to sell, so he keeps up a record of all the ‘nos’.  When he gets to 25, he knows a ‘yes’ is coming. You build greater determination which makes you even more resilient.   

​While we are not selling our faith to the lost, we are presenting the Lord in sharing the gospel and we need to know that we may have to witness a number of times before we make headway.    If the roles were reversed, would you want that other person to give up on you if you said no a few times?
 
Determination will help you to develop the resilience you need to be consistent and successful in your life.  It all begins at the start of each day.   We must let God through the Holy Spirit guide us, and that begins by reading our bible and being in tune with God’s leadership.
 
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