RESILIENCE THROUGH FAITH

Faith is a powerful force. Faith is not just believing in God when the sun is shining; faith is trusting God when the storm is raging. It’s not about escaping every problem; it’s about enduring through them with a strength that surpasses our own. God doesn’t always take you out of the problem. Sometimes, He takes you through the problem. Why? Because He is stretching your faith, making you more resilient.

We teach our children many skills; we teach them to be smart, to be polite. But if we miss teaching them resilience, we miss teaching them one of the most critical skills they need in life. Resilience is the ability to bounce back, to recover, and to keep moving forward even when things don’t go our way.

And the resilience starts with faith. Faith that God is always working in your life. Faith that He can do something at any moment that could change the direction of your life. And you don’t want to miss that! You keep moving forward because you believe that God will provide exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.

St. Paul faced dangers, persecutions, and hardships that would have stopped many. But his faith gave him the resilience to get back up when he was knocked down. His trust in God helped him to say, “We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

So today, if you feel pressed, perplexed, or knocked down, remember Paul’s words. Let them remind you that you are not crushed, not in despair, not abandoned, not destroyed. You are held, you are loved, and you are being strengthened. Your faith is being stretched, and through it, you are gaining resilience. Because with God, no problem is permanent, and no setback is too great. Keep the faith. Keep moving forward.

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
May 8, 2024