Resilience

A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?                                               Proverbs 18:14 (The Message)

– the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress

– an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The concept of psychological resilience has been around for quite a while, but it has gained more traction in the literature recently. In the past few years there has been increasing work done on trauma recovery and Trauma Informed Care.

We have experienced trauma since February or March, 2020. It persists still, and we have made adaptations to it. The most recent, and the one that looks like it will finally give relief, is the development of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Make no mistake that we have experienced trauma, for some much more substantial than for others, but all have suffered. The good news is that we have resilience as human beings, and we will overcome this trauma.

The virus itself may well persist in some form for generations. Indeed, the “Spanish Flu” of 1918 is still with us in variant, less deadly forms. We saw after that trauma, which was much deadlier than its cousin Coronavirus, that people recovered socially very quickly. After all, they didn’t call them the “Roaring 20’s” for nothing. People responded from that pandemic with vigor and hyper-socialization. I suspect that later this year, people will be letting loose with abandon. There will be gatherings, traveling and returns to normal life with a new exuberance.

There are new variants of the Coronavirus that have emerged that appear to be of great concern, so we are not yet out of the woods on this thing. Remember though, we will get through this and we will thrive again.

We are resilient.

Prayer: Lord, you have given us the ability to be resilient and resourceful. Help us to use that wisely, Amen