Looking To The Things Unseen…

Today, I read a something good. In fact, these words have the energy and spiritual fortitude for freedom, healing, and resilience. I thought you would be interested.  In the Bible, 2 Corinthians 4:18 says,

“as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (ESV).

Of late, I have been focusing my inner gaze on many things, mostly of things that are seen, not the unseen and then, I worry about it. These things that I imagine are of worse-case scenarios that never occur. Can you relate?

For example, after viewing all the terrible things reported on the nightly news, I think about the riots and brutal carnage and what if it came to my town. These kinds of thoughts generate more negative thoughts… thoughts of being trapped and hiding for my life. I know this will never happen, but I fear it. Until it does; the other day I was attacked.

Violence came knocking at my door in the form of a vicious dog. My dog, Ziva, stood in front of me and was raucously attacked. It took forever to get the other dogs jaws unclenched and off her back. Consequently, she suffered multiple wounds while protecting me. So now I am more anxious and afraid and feel as vulnerable and naked as a newborn kitten.

Honestly, while tending Ziva’s wounds and administering her medications, my thoughts are not focused on God or the unseen, but of solutions involving revenge. I am ashamed. That’s why this scripture is so important right now. It promises that if I refocus my mind to the good of the things, the things that are unseen, that is of God, His Kingdom, His eternal love, glory, His will and overall protection, my dark and evil thoughts will flee. God is good (Matthew 7:11 and James 1:17). And His truth is eternal, and I can trust in this promise. The Bible says that if I trust in His love and care of me and of Ziva, even in this situation, my fear will flee, and I can heal. Moreover, once I work through the shock and trauma of it, I will be stronger in the end. Resilient!

Many believe that resilience comes from surviving difficult events and tragedy without struggle such as simply pulling oneself up by their bootstraps. Others believe resilience is a form of mental fortitude. But both assumptions are not true. Resilience is developed only by acknowledging and leaning into the help and support that we have available to us.

According to Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, a notable pediatrician, resilience has seven components that each work together to overcome toxic stress. I suppose, we all have been exposed to toxic stress. Toxic stress is a good name because this form of anxiety is not good for us. It is, indeed toxic, harmful, and a adversary of good health and well-being.

Ginsburg asserts that resilience is developed through 7 C’s, which he identifies as competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, coping and control. ( http://www.fosteringresilience.com/7cs_professionals.php ). Basically, his whole assumption advocates that resilience can be learned. Although I must clarify that Ginsburg developed this hypothesis for children, but as it is, anyone can use it. Obviously, we adults can learn too.

Another pediatrician supporting Ginsburg’s work states, “People can build up social support networks or learn to reframe negative thoughts. Learning to be resilient doesn’t mean figuring out how to “grin and bear it” or to simply “get over it.” It’s not about learning to avoid obstacles or resisting change. Building resilience is a process by which people utilize flexibility to reframe thought patterns and learn to tap into a strengths-based approach to working through obstacles” (Sood, 2020). https://www.everydayhealth.com/wellness/resilience/

Building resilience is a process that takes time, but the good news is we can take positive action instead of doing nothing and feeling hopeless and helpless. Additionally, I believe that Christ -Followers can modify the 7 C’s to incorporate our faith and the promises of scripture. For example, with the C’s of resilience, I can find competence, confidence, connection with God and His Kingdom community. These skills lead me toward spiritual transformation which improves character, coping, control, and my contributions to society at large.

So how do I get started? I believe the first place to start is to admit that there is evil in the world. We cannot be naïve, evil exists. In fact, our world is a very dark place right now, but rather than focusing on the darkness and the evil, we can instead, focus on God and the strength He gives. A good place to begin is focusing on the fact that God loves me and is caring for me in a dark world. Moreover, I can redirect my thoughts towards God’s goodness (Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, and 31) that can NEVER be thwarted, even by a vicious dog. For me, God has given me a loving family. I live in a neighborhood community that agrees that vicious dogs must be retrained or rehomed. I also have a Bible in which God can speak to me through His words. Furthermore, I can work within my community to change local ordinances that serve to protect people and animals from unsafe situations. This kind of work is uplifting and doing it, builds confidence and once the work is completed, this will bring competence to our entire community. Thus, ensuring a safe and bright future for everyone as well as personal resilience.

Psychological experts claim that building resilience is the ONLY way to prevent or recover from PTSD and other forms of anxiety. During these troubled times, we must seek healthy resolutions and I believe this is a positive step. Therefore, I think I will post more about resilience… we all could use a positive goal right now.