Resiliency

In my continuing work on writing a book proposal, I was at work on the following words on resiliency . . .

Resiliency is the outcome of healing. No other finding from this study stands out to the author any more clearly than this one. Resiliency is the ability to bounce back, or rebound, from negative life experiences. In spite of the incredible pain involved with pastoral/spiritual abuse, in spite of the loss of friends and a church home, and in spite of a tarnished reputation among peers, a person who heals from spiritual abuse will become resilient. That person will in time move forward positively. He will draw close to the Lord not in spite of the abuse but because of it. He will drink deeply from the wells of salvation, pouring out His heart to God. He will learn new aspects of God’s nature and ways unknown to him previously. He will become more compassionate toward those who are hurting. And as he heals, he will rebound.

A person who does not heal will not become resilient; he will spend his days in the backwash of yesterday’s abuse. However, every person interviewed who indeed healed from their spiritual abuse bounced back with a new vitality and depth to their relationship with the Lord. Every one of them is moving forward positively today, actively engaged in Christian ministry in some capacity. Allowing oneself to move through the appropriate stages of healing, is fundamental to experiencing a resilient life.