Blessed to Bless
Humans possess remarkable resilience. In other words, when we put our minds to it, we are able not just to endure hardships but to accomplish remarkable things. I think we can each rattle off names of people that we know or stories that we have heard of great resilience. Frankly, it seems to me that our resilience is more reflective of the one that created us and not about us as individuals. Why? Well, because the opposite of resilience is also equally true about us. How many times in our lives have we been quickly overwhelmed and just presently aware of our weakness? Resilience requires us to be aware of and keep our eyes focused on the big picture and the goal we are striving towards. Yet, our eyes are perpetually drawn inwards to look at ourselves, and in that way, we can’t see the forest through the trees. We become hopelessly lost in our despair and hardships. So how do we keep our eyes off of ourselves?
God gives us an answer that we might find a bit unconventional, be a blessing to others.
Consider Abraham. He was a Babylonian idol worshipper whose name meant “Word’s Greatest Dad,” and he was too old to have kids. Ouch. Then, one day, God intervened in his life and promised to bless the nations through him. (Gen. 12:1-3) Abraham was blessed by God so that he could bless others. When our eyes are focused on others and being a blessing to them, not only do we not get distracted by ourselves, but we also become acutely aware of how much God is actively blessing us! And you know what? That spurs on joy in us which leads to resilience. Or, at least that is what James thought.
“2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)
God’s answer to our self-distraction problem is not to look inward at ourselves. Instead, it is to look outward and be a blessing to others. There is a great joy to be found when we are generous with our time, talents, and treasure. If you find yourself looking more and more inward, share your blessings and see how God builds resilience in us.