Called to Resilience

2021 January Blog by Syndie Eardly

2021 is here and everyone is happy to say goodbye to the very tough year we are leaving behind. We want to enter into this New Year with joy and with anticipation for a brighter future ahead.

But the truth is, we still face all the problems that bedeviled us in 2020. The pandemic is still with us and will be for the foreseeable future. Our assault on the environment continues, largely unabated. Our melting pot of races and religions and political beliefs has not played out as we had hoped. Instead of working together as a united people intent on constructive discussion about the many problems we face, we have experienced a deep divide and a stubborn unwillingness to listen and compromise.

Scripture offers no assurance of easy lives nor promises us happy endings in this life. Instead, God calls us to a life of resilience rooted in faith, inviting us to see beyond the moment to some greater truth about the meaning of our lives.

In James 1:2-4 it says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

My brother-in-law lost his mother to COVID just before Christmas. He received a lovely note of condolence from a cousin who recounted for him stories about his mother’s many kindnesses through the years. It was a reminder that our presence in other’s lives whether through acts of kindness, generosity, or attentiveness spreads a strong web of love and support beyond our knowledge. These individual moments matter tremendously and in fact are the core of our meaning and purpose in this life.

1 Corinthians 15:58 points to this truth: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

So, this is what I feel called to in 2021, to remain resilient and attentive, hopeful and faithful, helpful and loving in everything I do, as together we navigate another year as family, friends, community, nation or world.

At Centering Space, we have been blessed to continue our weekly prayer, casual gatherings and insightful programming through the challenges of 2020. We hope you will continue to gather with us in 2021 to offer spiritual support to one another as we face the days ahead together.