Resilient: Restoring Your Weary Soul in These Turbulent Times

by John Eldredge

The epicenter of our being is the deep longing to aspire for things that bring us life, to plan for those things, to take hold of them, to enjoy them, and start the cycle over as we aspire toward new things! This is the essential craving for life given to us by God. Let’s call this capacity the Primal Drive for Life.

We tap into our deep reserves to endure years of suffering and deprivation. Then one day our heart simply says, I don’t care anymore; I’m done. We abandon the fight and go off to find relief. I fear this is what’s happening now on a global scale.

This is why rallying can actually be deceptive. Reserves tell the true story.

Trauma sensitizes you to more trauma and brings to the surface past trauma. You don’t get used to it; each new crisis simply piles on the stress.

The great alarm the Scriptures are sounding is that our longing for life to be good again will be the battleground for our heart. How you shepherd this precious longing, and if you shepherd it at all, will determine your fate in this life and in the life to come.

What is available is the River of Life, God himself, in ways we have not yet tapped into.

Everything will live. This is what we want—to live, to find life in its fullness again.

Story is the way we orient ourselves in the world. Story is how we figure things out, bring order and meaning to the events around us. The story we hold to at any given time shapes our perceptions, hopes, and expectations; it gives us a place to stand. In this mad hour on the earth, what story are you telling yourself—or letting others tell you?

The story of God, the story of Jesus Christ has been, is now, and always will be the story of the world.

This is so important for the friends of God to keep in front of us; it’s one of those things to put on a sticky note on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror: the story of God has been, is now, and always will be the story of the world.

Because knowing your moment matters. Knowing where you are in the story is critical for your survival. Every moment is not like another.

Remember—the battle right now is for the narrative; who gets to frame the story for you? Either it will be God, or someone else. If you are “alarmed,” something has drawn your attention away from the story of God. Let your fears, anxieties, anger, or rage alert you that you’ve been taken hostage; stop and get your bearings.

The story of God should get more of your “attention time” than any other media.