Resilience is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, toughness, an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. Resilience is a skill that can and should be developed. It will improve your ability to deal with life’s setbacks.

Characteristics of resilience:

Resilient people are aware of situations, their own emotional reactions, and the behavior of those around them.

Another characteristic of resilience is the understanding that life is full of challenges. This is one skill that will help us move forward and succeed in life.

Resilience gives you a sense of control. Do you perceive yourself as having control over your own life, or are you constantly blaming outside sources for failures and problems? What we need to understand is that all of us have the ability to make choices that will affect our situation, our ability to cope, and our future.

Resilient people are able to find solutions to life’s setbacks — they never give up or quit. They take the hit and then see the solution and move forward. They will identify as a survivor, not a victim.

Inflexibility:

The opposite of being resilient is being depressed or constantly unhappy, being hard, inflexible, rigid. We are developing skills, characteristics, whether we realize it or not. The question is, “Are we developing the skill of being depressed, the skill of unhappiness, or the skill of being resilient?” The choice is yours. Are you rigid, or do you roll with the punches? Are you inflexible or flexible, willing to change? Your call.

I pray you make the right decision.

Just a thought,

PSS

We live in a world where we have so many options.

Choices:

If you want a soda, does that mean Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, Sprite, etc.? If you want a restaurant, do you want steak, Italian food, Mexican food, Chinese food, etc.? It’s the same thing with buying shoes or clothes. We are presented with so many options that at times it is difficult to make a decision.

Indecision: 

Indecision means: the inability to make decisions quickly; a wavering between two or more possible courses of action.

Indecision is paralyzing, and our decisions do determine our destiny. So, we had better make the right ones. There is so much pressure that every decision seems to be life or death. It’s just not true. Sure, some decisions are more important than others, and we won’t get them all right. When we blow it, we are to learn from it and grow. But we have to make decisions every day, and the worst place, most frustrating place, to be is in the place of indecision.

Decision:

So, what are we to do? Firstly, let’s realize as Christians we have the word of God to help lead and guide us, to go to for direction. It is our map to lead us to the right path. It will help us make decisions. Secondly, don’t attempt to make a lot of decisions at once. Deal with one thing at a time and begin limiting your options. This will help you make decisions.

Along with the Bible, believing it enough to do it, act on it, will always be the best guide in making sound decisions — decisions that will bless us.

Just a thought,

PSS

Being consistent, staying consistent is sometimes difficult for some.

Roller coasters:

Consistency is an essential part of our lives. People who are up one day, down the next are hard to deal with. You never know what mood they will be in. Consistent people are easier to deal with, especially when their attitude is consistent.

Our views and actions:

Consistent means: acting or done in the same way over time, especially so as to be fair or accurate; constantly adhering to the same principles (His views and actions are consistent). What we say and what we do must become consistent.

Our words and actions:

Even as we serve the Lord we must be consistent in our faith. The way we talk, the things we do must be consistent with what we believe. I believe we should all work at being very consistent in our lives — that when people are around us we are consistent in our words and actions. The thought, “Do as I say, not as I do” is very inconsistent: not a healthy way to be.

So, let’s strive to be more consistent in our lives — at work, around our families, even when we are alone. It will bring greater peace to our minds. Let’s all strive to be more Christlike in speech and deed. It will help us be more and more successful in every area of our lives.

Just a thought,

PSS

God’s word teaches us that relationships are the most important thing to Him.

Love God:

In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus said, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “ The most important relationship in our lives is to love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds.

Love your neighbor:

The second most important relationship is with other people. Today we live in a society that is secluded and isolating itself, where we have a lot of acquaintances; the reason for this is that we don’t want to commit to a relationship — probably for a variety of reasons: past hurts, people letting us down. The bottom line is we need relationships in our lives.

Build warmhearted relationships:

Edward Hallowell, M.D., a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School, said, “To thrive, indeed just to survive, we need warmhearted contact with other people. The close-to-the vest, standoffish life is bad for your body and your soul. Like a vitamin deficiency, a human-contact deficiency weakens the body, the mind, and the spirit.” We need to be willing to commit to having relationships with others, understanding that close friendships take time to grow. But when you develop them, it will enrich your life.

Let’s build good, healthy relationships.

Just a thought,

PSS

As the new year begins, I want to describe true discipleship. Most people think that just saying a prayer asking Jesus to be Lord of your life is enough. They tell people that if they get saved, they won’t have any issues — that Jesus will take care of them all. He does everything and we do nothing. This is simply not true.

Follow Him:

True discipleship is believing and confessing Jesus as Lord, with a desire to follow Him. Then and only then are you a true disciple. God called us to be disciples, not pray a prayer then live the exact same way. John 8:12: Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Follow: to do what He does, do what He says; to follow closely behind.

Do what He says:

This is what the born-again experience is. It’s believing in Jesus and doing what He says. We know what He says because we have the Bible, the word of God.

Don’t be deceived:

Don’t be deceived; God will not be mocked: whatever a man sows, that and that only he will reap. We must purpose to be doers of God’s word in order to be His disciple. A follower of Christ is not one who just talks a good game, but one who purposes to obey God’s word.

Just a thought,

PSS