Adult #7 – Being Resilient – Remaining Faithful Through Life’s Seasons
As we continue exploring the adult stage of discipleship, we come to another important characteristic of spiritual maturity: resilience. The adult disciple is not defined by the absence of difficulty, but by their perseverance through difficulty.
Following Jesus does not make us immune from suffering, persecution, trials, disappointments, or the difficulties of life. In fact, the testimony of Scripture is quite the opposite. Think about the lives of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Elijah, the Apostle Paul—and Jesus Himself. Their faith did not remove difficulty from their lives. Rather, their relationship with God enabled them to remain faithful through it.
Paul writes quite plainly in 2 Timothy 3:12,
"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."
This may not be the verse we would choose for an encouraging morning devotional! Yet it is both revealing and important. The Christian life is not presented in Scripture as a life protected from hardship. Indeed, many of our brothers and sisters around the world live their faith in contexts where persecution, discrimination, suffering, and even death are very real possibilities.
Resilience therefore cannot be based upon the assumption that life will always go well.
Instead, resilience is built upon knowing who God is when life does not go well.
Paul gives us an extraordinary perspective in Romans 5:3–4,
"We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
Notice the progression. Suffering produces perseverance. Perseverance produces character. Character produces hope.
As disciples, we want our character to be well formed and hope to be deeply established within us. Yet there are no shortcuts to this kind of formation. God can and does use the difficult seasons of life to deepen our trust, strengthen our faith, refine our character, and establish our hope.
This does not mean that suffering itself is good, nor that we should seek out hardship. It means that God is faithful enough to redeem even the hardest circumstances for our formation and His purposes.
James makes a similar point when he writes:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2–3
"Pure joy"? Really, James?
It is tempting to wonder whether James had forgotten what suffering actually feels like! But James is not suggesting that we enjoy pain, grief, persecution, disappointment, or loss. His joy comes from knowing what God can produce through these experiences. He has seen suffering firsthand. He has watched believers endure hardship. And he knows that the testing of faith can produce something of enormous value: perseverance.
The adult disciple increasingly understands this.
There is a backdrop to resilience that is important to remember. Adult disciples have learned that:
God is faithful.
Christ is enough.
The mission continues.
The Word of God stands the test of time.
The Holy Spirit can be trusted and abides within us.
Trials do not destabilise our identity; they reveal it.
This last thought is particularly important.
When everything is going well, it can be difficult to know how deeply our identity is actually established in Christ. But when circumstances become difficult, what we have built our lives upon becomes visible. Trials have a way of revealing what we truly believe.
The adult disciple does not necessarily respond to suffering without questions, tears, disappointment, or lament. (There is a whole book in the Bible of lament). Spiritual maturity does not mean becoming emotionally detached or pretending that everything is fine. Jesus wept. He experienced anguish. He cried out to His Father. Resilience is not the absence of vulnerability.
Resilience is the decision to remain faithful.
This is one of the significant differences between the earlier stages of discipleship and spiritual adulthood. A child may understandably ask, "Why is this happening?" The adult disciple is more likely to be asking - "Lord, how do You want to form Christ in me through this?"
That is a profound shift.
The difficult circumstance may not change immediately. The answer to "Why?" may never come. But the disciple learns that God can still be trusted. Christ remains enough. The Holy Spirit remains present. God's Word remains true. The mission continues.
Spiritual adulthood recognises that trials are not interruptions to discipleship; they are often the very places where discipleship deepens.
This is resilience: not simply surviving life's difficult seasons, but remaining faithful to Jesus through them and finding victory in them. It is continuing to love when we are disappointed, continuing to trust when we cannot see, continuing to serve when we are tired, continuing to hope when circumstances seem hopeless, and continuing to follow Jesus when the path becomes difficult.
The resilient adult disciple can look back over the seasons of life and say, "God has been faithful."
And because God has been faithful before, they can trust Him to be faithful again.
Reflection Questions
How do I typically respond when life becomes difficult or circumstances don't unfold as I expected?
What difficult season has God used to deepen my faith or shape my character?
Which of these truths do I most need to remember in my current circumstances: God is faithful, Christ is enough, the mission continues, God's Word stands, or the Holy Spirit can be trusted?
When I face trials, do I primarily ask "Why is this happening?" or "Lord, how do You want to form Christ in me through this?"
In what ways can I encourage another believer to keep on keeping on this week!
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You that You are faithful in every season of life. Thank You that You do not leave us when circumstances become difficult and that Your purposes are not defeated by the trials we face.
Teach us to trust You when we cannot understand. Give us perseverance when we are weary, courage when we are afraid, and hope when circumstances seem overwhelming.
Help us to remember that Christ is enough, that Your Word remains true, and that Your Holy Spirit is with us and within us. When we face trials, help us not to run from You but to run towards You.
Form the character of Christ more deeply within us through every season. May our difficulties not draw us away from You but deepen our dependence upon You.
And when we look back, may we be able to say with confidence, "God has been faithful."
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Next Step
Think about one difficult circumstance or season you are currently facing. Instead of asking only, "Why is this happening?", spend some time this week praying, "Lord, how do You want to form Christ in me through this?"
Write down one quality of Christ you believe God may be developing in you—perhaps perseverance, patience, trust, compassion, courage, or hope. Each day, surrender that circumstance to Him and ask the Holy Spirit to form Christ in you through it.
You may not be able to change the circumstances, but you can choose to remain faithful in them.
This blog was written by Richard Botta.
