Resilience and faith — Part 1

Is there a connection between spirituality, church community and our resilience to deal with life’s challenges? Does a faith relationship with Jesus Christ offer several of the tools needed to be resilient?

These questions were constantly on the edges of my mind as I participated in the recent Mental Wellness Roundtable held here in New Glasgow. I want to say thank you to those who provided the effort behind this opportunity.

At the outset of the reflections I am about to share, I want you to know that I am thinking of something deeper that religion or church attendance, although those basic structural behaviours will part of the discussion.

At the roundtable, Dr. Michael Unger presented 12 things that help build our resilience in the challenges of life. I think there is value in listing them for you here in the order he presented them:

1. Structure/routine

2. Consequences/ accountability

3. Intimate and sustained love from others

4. Lots and lots of supportive relationships

5. A powerful identity

6. A sense of control

7. A sense of belonging/culture/spirituality/life purpose

8. Right and responsibilities

9. Basic needs are met

10. Physical well-being

11. Financial well-being

12. Positive thinking There is not enough space in a single article to reflect on all 12 of these at once so I will only jump in on the first two today.

STRUCTURE/ROUTINE

As a follower of Jesus, what structure or routine does this bring to my life? There is an obvious structure on a bigpicture level. I see the world as being created and sustained by a Triune God who not only holds the world together (Colossians 1:17). I believe that this God entered the human experience as Jesus of Nazareth for the purpose of connecting with us. After his death and resurrection I believe that His Spirit returned to have a guiding connection with our lives (John 14:15-18).

On a practical community behaviour level, this gives me a structure (church) and a routine of regular worship attendance. On a personal level, the example of Jesus and the belief that His Spirit still interacts through Scripture intake and prayer give me both structure and routine on a deeply personal level. So upon further reflection, my faith in Jesus does give me this first building block of resilience.

CONSEQUENCES/ ACCOUNTABILITY

My whole basis of this faith relationship is saturated with the idea that there are both natural and eternal, spiritual consequences to my choices. I am voluntarily accountable to those with whom I worship but I am even more aware that I am never acting in secret. In the words of Hebrews 4:12-13, everything is laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. This could be a very discouraging idea if it were not for the whole Easter Story. Jesus’ sacrificial death and the opportunity for forgiveness and cleansing that it affords (I John 1:9) gives me a way of dealing with those times in life were I need to be held accountable for my thoughts and behaviours and also gives me a pattern of mercy and forgiveness to help with those times that I must hold someone else accountable. So, does my faith in Jesus give me a second building block of resilience? Yes, I believe it gives me a great balanced awareness of accountability and consequences along with a great model of mercy and forgiveness.

I will stop there and give you a chance to reflect on this, on your own resilience building blocks and perhaps of the importance of deep personal faith.

Have a great and healthy March. In April, we will look at more of these building blocks of resilience in light of a faith-based relationship with Jesus.