Resilience: Way Bigger Than Bounceback!

What do you do when all your good work, your best intentions and selfless motives to help your neighbors, suffers setbacks?

Over the past several months we have identified spiritual qualities that galvanize and guide do-gooders and givers to make a tangible difference in the world. Some of these qualities have resulted in monthly themes: Courage, Justice, Kindness, Woke, Lit Within, Belonging, Room At The Table, Lionhearted.

Articles, interviews, videos and podcasts on InspiredToGive.org share the good news of individuals and groups leaning into their spiritual motivation to practically and effectively bust through inequities and suffering to make a positive impact.

Sometimes, however, the resistance to best intentions looks to overpower and defeat the good. Advances in humanitarian issues, environmental causes, animal protections, and civil rights appear to have been dealt crushing setbacks.

Resilience. Bounceback…Recover…Dust Yourself Off…Double Down. But what spiritual reservoir can you tap into in order to be resilient?

Those who have a clear vision of the overarching goal tend to snap back to center with renewed compassion and strength. There is no doubt about the deep meaning of their work. To stop caring is not an option. The principle – the standard of right – is worth every fight. Very often, to these lionhearts, it is almost irrelevant what is happening. Regardless of the battle they are equipped with their vision and will persist with creativity, courage, integrity, truth. Resilience is armed with spiritual power.

Here is another companion quality to Resilience: Patience. The battle, you see, is not hand-to-hand combat, it is thought-to-thought…old notions about quality and equality of life must go down before enlightened thought. Patience does not mean “do nothing.” It means intentionally expect the good work will have its positive effect, even though there are setbacks along the way.

Working hard to change thought for the vision of a better way, while patiently expecting thought to move upward, generously and inclusively, is effective Resilience.