Daily Reading - "We Are Hard Pressed." 2 Corinthians 4:8 NIV

Here is how it read today...

"WE ARE HARD PRESSED." (2 CORINTHIANS 4:8 NIV)

Resilient people (1)

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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 writes: "Madsen is what researchers call 'resilient - able to rebound from whatever life brings. She's one of those people who make us wonder how we'd fare if our mettle were tested. Would we bounce back?" Paul writes, "We are hard pressed...but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."

Resilient people: (1) Take control of their lives: Drs. Stevens & Sybil Wolin write, "It's easy to blame others for your problems and wait till they fix them. But then you never get to rise to the occasion...When you see yourself as a problem-solver life goes very differently. Identify your strengths. Recall those moments when you triumphed over adversity. Focus on what you can influence instead of what you can't." (2) Surround themselves with the right people: The Psalmist said, "They...treated me badly all my life, but they have not defeated me" (Ps 129:2 NCV). 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. Today he's a prominent psychiatrist, a happily-married father and a successful author. It happened largely because at the boarding school he attached himself to teachers who cared about him and took him under their wing. So in rough times, lean on God, take control of your life, and surround yourself with the right people.