Issue 12: Resilient Joy

Fellow Resilient Warrior.

This is our last edition before we celebrate Christmas 2019 and New Year 2020.

This edition’s feature article, entitled “Resilient JOY,” will address the dilemmas we all face at Christmas. Perhaps it is a blessed time of family and fun, or perhaps it is a very difficult time of strained relationships and a sense of loss. Or perhaps it is some of each for many of us. The reality is that we can’t always control our circumstances, but we do have control over our response. Our article discusses achieving “Resilient JOY” at Christmas, despite the challenging circumstances which may surround us.

This edition also has the normal “Bounce Builder” question for discussion with family and friends, as well as the pre-Christmas discount offered in the Resources Section — $10 off on the tabletop Resilience Training Game w/ Promo Code “FAM2”. Order now for Christmas!

Our Resilience God Style website (newsletter tab) has an archive of all past RGS newsletter content archived for your future reference, or for you to share with others.

Be assured of my prayers for you, your family, and loved ones during this Christmas season. I pray that you may have comfort and joy as you “Remember Christ our Savior:”

“God rest ye merry gentlemen (and women!)
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan’s pow’r
When we were gone astray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy”

Respectfully in Christ,

Bob Dees

PS- I hope to hear some of YOUR thoughts as we head into Christmas and prayerfully a couple of weeks of “self-care,” a key element of personal resilience!

 
May we all “sharpen the saw” in anticipation of an active New Year.

Gaining Altitude

“Ready or not — it is Christmas time –
a time of peace and JOY for some,
a time of loneliness and even depression for others.”

Resilient Joy

Have you ever had a lonely Christmas? Has your Christmas meal been laced with tension, bitterness, and anger? Or has your economic situation negated your ability to even provide modest presents for those you love? Is this the time which triggers you over the loss of a dear loved one? Are you separated by oceans and continents from dear family and friends, perhaps serving in harm’s way in the military, or residing in prison, or on a far-off mission field? Maybe you are living with pain which makes it hard to appreciate the season or achieve the JOY you once felt. Perhaps you have been blessed to avoid such dynamics during your lifetime of Christmases, but I venture that most of us well understand such scenarios.

Ready or not — it is Christmas time – a time of peace and JOY for some, a time of loneliness and even depression for others. This holiday dynamic is part of the reality of our human journey. Rather than passively allowing such challenges to determine our mental outlook and our spiritual well-being, the Resilient Warrior in us must fight for the JOY within our grasp.

Let’s dive right into some suggestions for Resilient JOY at Christmas, and actually during any part of the year ahead. Here are some thoughts:

* Lean into the true meaning of Christmas. The world focuses on materialism and bright lights, certainly not a source of lasting JOY. Rather, Christmas affords the opportunity to pause, consider, and celebrate God’s provision of Jesus to free us from bondage, to give us the temporal and eternal gift of JOY – one of the fruits of His Holy Spirit (Read Galatians 5).
 
A secret of Resilient JOY is to drop to our knees in the very presence of God        when we encounter holiday discouragement – 
 

Psalms 16:11 reminds us “In Your presence is fullness of JOY…”

James helps us understand the outcome of such Resilient Joy — “Consider it all JOY, my brethren when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith (even at Christmas) produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

The pain and discouragement which we feel should drive us to our knees in the presence of our Heavenly Father who in turn miraculously gives us true JOY and other priceless gifts such as endurance, patience, long-suffering, empathy, and wisdom. 
 
Jesus promises that He will turn our grief into JOY. (John 16:20)
 
* Gratitude is the gateway to Resilient JOY. G.K. Chesterton said “gratitude is the crown jewel of all virtues.” I won’t belabor this point – we have highlighted the power of praise on many occasions. When faced with numerous invading armies, King Jehosophat put the praise singers (Levites) out front and let God fight the battle for them. Playing the “glad game” is incredibly powerful in changing our mental outlook, and even our neurological functioning.
 
* Pray for Others with JOY. In “This is Your Brain on JOY” (I highly recommend), Dr Earl Henslin explains the neurobiology of prayer as follows:
 
“The apostle Paul wrote about praying for others ‘with JOY’ (Phil 1:4)–describing the emotional state he was in during his prayer time. And for good scientific reason. Prayer for others, particularly prayer for their happiness and well-being, lights up the left prefrontal cortex — the happiness spot — of the human brain. In fact, few activities foster more feelings of JOY than praying a blessing over someone else.” 
 
* Take Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) Captive. Dr Earl Henslin further explains that “ANTs” disrupt and sometimes kidnap our experience of JOY. Learning to question our own thoughts and ponder alternative and more positive ways of “reading” situations is a skill that can be integrated with practice. Our thoughts often lie to us. By distancing ourselves from their messages, we can evaluate any automatic painful paths and point our minds toward new and more upbeat directions. Replacing these negative thought patterns with healthy messages from Scripture and other positive sources is also a key to Resilient JOY. Philippians 4:8 says it well: “… whatever is true… honorable… right… pure… lovely… of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
 

Over time we can discuss many more tips. For now, however, let us march into Christmas with a Resilient JOY that is not based on circumstances, but on the truth of God’s Word, the gift of Christ at Christmas, and the positive and healthy mindset that God can provide to each of us as we lean into Him.

Have a Blessed Christmas,
Bob

So what about YOU?

How are you experiencing Resilient JOY?

Can you make your inner JOY less dependent on outer conditions?

Share in COMMENTS below.

Resilience Resources

God Style Training Game

TREAT YOUR FAVORITE FAMILY TO A CHRISTMAS GIFT WITH A PURPOSE
RESILIENCE GOD STYLE TRAINING
GAME$10 DISCOUNT WITH PROMO CODE “FAM2”

Learn More

Bounce Builder

Here’s a RGS Training Game question related to JOY.

DISCUSS THIS AROUND YOUR DINNER TABLE – learn Resilience together!
How would YOUR family or group answer this question?
Tell us by sharing in COMMENTS.

Suggested: 
 
1) Avoid “catastrophic thinking” about worst case outcomes that are very unlikely. 
 
2) Dwell on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). 
 
3) Pray that God will help you see the sun above the clouds until they depart. 
 
4) Seek God’s face – “In His presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).
 
How would YOUR family or group answer this question?

Tell us by sharing your COMMENTS below.

From the Mailbox

(Regarding the “Growing Children Who Bounce” edition)

Bob this is so right on! So-called and far too frequent “entitlement” tendencies dissolve when resilient ownership and “bouncing back” are practiced. Keep up the good work in spreading the word! ~Glen Aubrey

Share The Wealth

Let us know your thoughts on today’s newsletter.

If you enjoyed this newsletter then forward it to a friend.


If you enjoy the Resilience God Style newsletter, the greatest form of flattery is to share each issue with your friends by emailing it to them and sharing on social media. This way more people can benefit and our community will become even stronger.

Powered by:
GetResponse

Leave a comment

Join the movement...

Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram
DONATE
Scroll to Top