Sometimes “42” Throws Me a Bone!
I came across a word the other day that I have never much thought about: RESILIENCE. Its root word is “resilient” which traces its origins to the Latin word resiliens or resilire meaning to jump/leap back, or to recoil. Here’s Merriam-Webster definition:
noun: re·sil·ience | \ ri-ˈzil-yən(t)s
- 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
Synonyms: strength, persistence, tenacity, fortitude, grit, doggedness, flexibility, adaptability, elasticity.
Antonyms: helplessness, impotence, inadequacy, weakness, rigidity, inflexibility, stiffness.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resilience
I am fascinated by this word, especially now, because we are seeing and experiencing so much of its antonyms in our culture. Many people are feeling helplessness, impotence, inadequacy, or weakness. Others have doubled down on rigidity, inflexibility, and stiffness.
And then there is the dance of ambivalence, those conflicting emotions that freeze us in place and keep us from moving forward together.
I admit that I occasionally feel some of the former, impotent to effect change or inadequate to face the task. And yes, there are times when I tend toward inflexibility as well. And I even experience my fair share of ambivalence. Does this surprise you? Yes, the HitchHiker is human, which is no surprise to my wife and kids.
“42” gave me the word resilience to share with you, as this is the way forward in combating this present darkness that many do not want to acknowledge. Yet resilience is a theme that jumps out of the story of his people, as found in the scriptures. You hear it lifting off the pages of the prophets, books of wisdom, Gospels, and the epistles.
You even hear it from the mouth of “42” in all his splendid glory!
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isiah 41:10
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
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