“I get knocked down, but I get up again—and you’re never gonna keep me down!” Those are the lyrics of a song from the 90’s by a British punk band called Chumbawamba—and are also the lyrics to the theme song of the resilient. Why? Because that’s the way resilient people think.
Resilient people choose to push through set-backs, keep the lesson, let go of the pain and never give up. They have a mindset, a way of thinking that enables them to overcome and bounce-back when adversity strikes.
Resilience is the by-product of a strong, positive attitude and an internal skill that increases the more your practice it. So, what’s your thinking style? Are you pessimistic—always thinking the worst—or are you optimistic—and look on the bright side? It’s a choice you make. Instead of giving up when life gets rough and settling into the kind of “stinking thinking” that gives way to discouragement, despair, defeat and all the other “d” words you can think of—try taking the advice of Philippians 4:8. and choose thinking differently: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
“Oh, but Penny,” you say. “You don’t understand. You don’t know what I’m going through. You don’t know how I feel.” Well, you may be right about that. There is no way for me to know what you’re going through or how you feel about it. But I do know this; feelings come and feelings go, but they will eventually catch up to the way you choose to think.
I also know choosing to get up instead of giving up is not a once-and-for-all decision. It is an ongoing process that requires continual, repeated willingness to allow God to take captive all the negative, wrong thinking in my life, break down those strongholds and instill in me the mind of Christ. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”II Corinthians 10:5
These kinds of thought choices can be really hard in the midst of a difficult time. I know that. So here is some really good news for you. This is not something we have to do all on own. We have a whole lot more than our own will-power going for us. The words of the Bible teach us that we have divine weaponry and power to help us be victorious over our thoughts. “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”II Corinthians 10:3&4
Finally, look around you. The resilient are still standing. I invite you to join them. Be a get up, not a give up person!
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Hebrews 12:1-3
