Don’t break, bounce back (1)

When resilient people hit bottom, they don’t break, they bounce back. The apostle Paul was such a person: “We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 CEV). So how can you bounce back instead of breaking? By doing two things: (1) When you can’t control your circumstances, take control of your life. When a back injury paralyzed Angela Madsen from the waist down, she vowed to do whatever it took to get back up. As a result, she started training to be the first woman with a disability to row across the Atlantic. Journalist Denise Foley wrote, “Madsen is what researchers call ‘resilient’ – able to rebound from whatever difficulty life brings. She is one of those people who…make us wonder how we would fare if our own mettle were tested. Would we bounce back?” (2) Instead of complaining about the wrong people being in your life, start looking for the right people. Ned Hallowell grew up with a bipolar father, an abusive stepfather, an alcoholic mother, and two learning disabilities – a history that’s often a precursor to jail or a mental institution. But he went on to become a prominent psychiatrist, a happily married father, and a successful author. It happened largely because, at a boarding school, he attached himself to teachers who cared about him and took him under their wing. So when times are tough, lean on God, take control of your life, and look for the right people.