As parents and caregivers of those with disabilities, it is not out of the question to find ourselves in the position of struggling with our faith.
Challenges with health, a particularly trying time with a developmental milestone, the struggle with loneliness and isolation as hours are spent at home, or at appointments, or in the hospital again, can take a toll on special needs parents. And the pain of overhearing rejection, bullying or your child being made fun of for something that they have no control over, can break your heart.
We struggle with why it has to be this way and our faith is tested as we wait for results, long for progress, or struggle with hurt.
What is Resilient Faith?
Resilience is defined as the ability to withstand or recover quickly from a difficult situation. To have a resilient faith we need to build into our spiritual lives the actions needed to recover from the hurts, the pain and the relentless suffering that dealing with disability brings. By keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus we will be able to withstand the challenges that we face.
Image from @skamenar on Unsplash.
A Simple Checklist for Building a Resilient Faith
Acts 2:42 gives us a checklist for building a resilient faith by telling us how the early church grew their faith in challenging times. “They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.”
Here we have a simple checklist of what is needed to build a resilient faith.
1. The believers devoted themselves. They made their faith a top priority by staying in community.
2. The believers devoted themselves to learning. The believers were not left on their own after Jesus returned to heaven. The men who had been with Jesus for three years of his ministry, who had sat under his teaching, and been with him as he taught and performed miracles, were now teaching the same message. And, the believers who formed the first church were devoted to listening and learning from them. They had also been given the Holy Spirit to help them understand all that they were hearing, just as we have today. Are you prioritizing time for listening to the messages God has for your encouragement, edification and the growth of your faith? Are you staying connected in a community of believers?
3. The believers devoted themselves to fellowship. According to the Oxford dictionary, fellowship is a friendly gathering of those who share interests in common. We are not meant to function alone. God has given us fellowship with other believers to grow our faith and to provide care for each other. Fellowship includes sharing our stories, good times and bad, and having others come beside us to encourage and celebrate. We mutually bless each other, “weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice.” (Romans 12:15) Our journey is not meant to be solitary; fellowship offers connection. It can be as simple as a cup of coffee shared with a friend or as complex as a weekend retreat with hundreds of people. Are you gathering with others of similar interests for mutual blessing and the growing of your faith? Are you being called to reach out to someone who is hurting? To care for others?
4. The believers devoted themselves to breaking bread together. What better way to grow in our faith than to remember what Christ has done for us? Preparation for the time of communion should include a time of confession and repentance. Celebrating the Lord’s Supper is remembering Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf and celebrating the new beginning he gives us. That is the very definition of resilience. As we build a resilient faith may we always remember that the center of our faith is Jesus who is faithful to make all things new, including us!
5. The believers devoted themselves to prayer. There are so many facets to prayer, but at its simplest it is talking with God. Praying with and for others and then watching how God answers, is a gift of grace for the Christian. Our Friend and Savior is just a conversation away and he desires to communicate with us not only in our time of greatest need, but also in our times of joyful celebration!
Are we immersed in the Word of God? Is being part of a community of believers a top priority? Do we long to hear God’s words of comfort and hope daily, even when things are going well? Are we faithful even in struggles?
The following verse gives us a glimpse of what committing to connection, caring, celebration and communication will do for our faith. Acts 2:43 “And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.”
You can feel the excitement as the church grows. Christ’s physical presence had left the believers, but he is still with them in Spirit, and they press on with that assurance in the message he gave them to share.
My prayer is that you too may have the feeling of awe and see the signs and wonders in your life as you build a resilient faith in times of challenge and in times of celebration.
Mary Underwood has been involved in the special needs community for over a decade as well as having friends and family who are walking this journey with their young adults. She is an author and blogger at What Empty Nest where her mission is to encourage, equip and empower parents of young adults with disabilities who are entering adulthood. www.whatemptynest.com
