I started reading an article about the strategies of being resilient. The word ‘strategies’ made me expect monumental steps to achieve resiliency. To my surprise I saw things like “be mindful to breathe, to eat, to move…to practice one small step at a time”. My first reaction was, ‘well, duh!’ But as I thought about it more I found myself agreeing that being resilient isn’t achieved by giant leaps and bounds. Resilience is the steadiness of keeping on.

The Bible uses the word picture of a tree. Jeremiah 17:7-8 (ESV) says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Regardless of the heat or drought, even when it was only a seed covered up by dirt, surrounded in darkness, it kept growing, focusing on being planted, not buried, digging roots deep toward the river, to withstand heat and drought, fear and anxiety. And it does not cease to bear fruit. When you hear that verse do you imagine a Charlie Brown tree? or a healthy, vibrant, growing tree that is rich in fruit? Perhaps we need to adjust how we see ourselves if we are putting our trust in the Lord each day. If we are, we are much more like that tree described in Jeremiah 17:7-8. You know, the one that keeps on keeping on, despite the situations surrounding it. Digging deep. Bearing fruit.

What does God say about you? You are resilient.