Resilience: An Attitude of Flexibility by Kathleen Cooke
At a recent conference in Amsterdam, I had a brief breakfast conversation with Nicky Gumbal and his wife, Pippa. We talked about challenges and overcoming them in life. He said, “Resilience was not about being strong but being flexible.” In our world today, full of uncertainty, and as many are recovering from health issues, financial issues, and even loss of homes and families due to floods, fires, and other storms of life, being resilient becomes a challenge.
Here are a couple of things to ponder…
To be resilient, we must take on a positive attitude, which requires a vision for the future. Helen Keller said she may not have sight, but she never lost her vision. Proverbs 29:18 (KJ Bible) says, “Without a vision, the people perish…” Or, as another translation says, “The people are unrestrained.” In other words, they lose it. Following God’s guidelines – His laws and wisdom – allow us to grasp an attitude of flexibility to what God is doing in our lives despite the situation we find ourselves in at any given moment.
To be resilient, we need to stay in a community of like-minded, Bible-focused believers. We need each other’s encouragement, knowledge, and wisdom. Depression and loneliness rates globally are soaring despite having “friends” and “likes” on our social media accounts. We need real flesh-and-bone friendships. Seventy percent of the world’s 12 to 30-year-olds admit to feeling alone today. It’s why being a member of Influence Women is key to resilience in an industry of “nos” and rejection. I encourage you to volunteer, give back, and roll up your sleeves to be God’s extended hands and feet on earth to others who need you in their lives and careers. It’s a privilege and honor for me to serve you always. I love seeing you excel, and I love weeping with you when things are challenging. As God empowers each of us, we can enable others to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13.
Believe – really believe that Jesus loves you, believes in you, and is for you! Sail above it. Jesus is with you, sweet sisters!