The Roots of Resilience

Springtime is here! After several months of gray, dreary, rainy days the sunshine is back. The new growth on the trees, the bulbs sprouting from the ground, and the brightness of spring flowers seem so fresh and hopeful. 

When I look around my yard, I see all the new growth as well as some trees and plants that didn’t survive the winter months. It makes me wonder, Did they die because it was too cold? Did something disrupt or damage their root system? What made those that lived more resilient? 

Resilience refers to our capacity to recover quickly from difficult experiences. In many ways it reflects a level of toughness. It’s displayed through our ability to adapt and bounce back from something challenging. And it’s often developed over time through pain and hardship. 

I know what you’re thinking: Who would want to develop resilience if it’s the result of pain and hardship?

Yet, there is something profound in the way pain, hardship, and adversity shape who we are and who we are becoming. Throughout our life, as we continue to face times of stress and overcome obstacles, it changes us; either making us more vulnerable to stress or more resilient to it. 

Think about it: over time, as we face the challenges common to the human experience, do we become weaker or stronger? Do we become frail and collapse or do we stand firm and move forward to face the challenge head on? What makes one person resilient and another person not resilient?
From a human behavior perspective, I find all of this so fascinating and a continued area of interest for me. Here’s what I’m learning about it:

• Resilience comes from an ability to compensate and adapt during times of stress.
• Resilience adaptations can be seen through gene expressions at a molecular level (our biological makeup).
• Resilience affects the function and structure of the brain: areas of the limbic system, prefrontal cortex, and more.
• Resilience is impacted by neurochemical activity, hormonal levels, and physiological adaptations.
• Resilience is a common outcome to adversity for both children and adults.

This means that developing resilience happens as we proactively navigate and face stressful situations. It also means that our ability to develop resilience was passed down to us genetically from our parents (gene expression). In the same way, we will pass down to our children the genes that make them more vulnerable or more resilient to stress. 

Developing resilience changes our brain, as well as the chemical composition throughout our body. And while resilience is often a byproduct of adversity, it stems from a person’s ability to strategize a way through the situation, which gives them a sense of control. All of these factors contribute to our ability to develop resilience. 

At Pure Desire, what we experience during our healing journey helps us build resilience. 

Throughout our group experience, we are surrounded and supported by safe people who help us create adaptive strategies to navigate stressful situations. The curriculum helps us understand the power of renewing our mind and how this leads to a more resilient brain that physiologically impacts our body. Resilience is often birthed from pain and hardship; it is through these painful experiences that we become stronger and better equipped to weather the storms of life. And all of this happens because God, His Word, and His Spirit are an active force in our healing. 

Through our healing, as we become rooted in God’s Word and establish our identity in Him, this creates the foundation for resilience.

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)

I love these verses because they beautifully describe the process of healing. It reminds me to trust the Lord, regardless of the situation I face and to have confidence in His ability to work it out. Then I don’t have to worry about the situation, and can remain hopeful that everything will turn out okay. 

I also love the symbolism these verses offer, comparing human behavior to a “tree planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.” This reflects not only our relationship with God, but more so the depth of our relationship with God. 

I’ll admit, I’ve struggled with this. I came to know Jesus when I was 5 years old and was raised in a Christian family that regularly attended church. So I’m no stranger to these verses and this analogy. And yet, when I experienced pain and hardship in life, having confidence in God and trusting Him to work it out was last on my list of coping strategies. 

But God is so gracious and loves me so much that He’s given me many “opportunities” to develop a deeper relationship with Him. 

Life is hard. No one escapes this life without a few scars. And yet, it’s been through the hard experiences that I’ve learned to trust God first. To confidently bring all my challenges to Him, knowing He has the answers I need. 

In fact, it’s been through this process of growing my relationship with Him that has helped me become more resilient to life’s challenges. I’ve gotten better at not wasting time spinning in a cycle of worry and fear, trying to figure it out on my own. Instead, I bring it to God first and then to the safe people He’s brought into my life.

Growing strong roots of resilience has become a life goal for me because I know it’s directly connected to my relationship with God. The more I pursue knowing Him and His Word, the more prepared I’ll be when life goes sideways. I will be able to face the situation because I’m securely rooted in Him.  

It’s never too late to develop resilience: to put strategies in place that will help us adapt and navigate the challenges we face in life. Having a strong relationship with God and safe people who walk this journey with us are great first steps to begin growing deep roots of resilience. 

The views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are those of the author alone and do not reflect an official position of Pure Desire Ministries, except where expressly stated.