Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit

We have all seen commercials and advertisements for things that were supposed to be unbreakable, able to return to their original shape, unbelievable in operation…….  basically an incredible resilience. I read a quote today that said ” man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit” Bern Williams.  I thought how profound those words were. Man is always trying to create some fabulous device that can achieve incredible results. I have always been fascinated  by the unbelievable resilience displayed throughout history, in the indomitable spirit of man. There are countless stories of people that pressed through tremendous odds and hardships to do amazing things. As this year draws to a close I am focusing on becoming more resilient.

The story of the tortoise and the hare bears witness of the resilience of the tortoise.  He just kept plodding along, determined to reach his destination. It wasn’t about how speedy he was but how to make it to the finish line.

I would imagine Albert Einstein’ s teachers would have laughed if asked if he would one day win the Nobel Peace prize in physics. He didn’t speak until he was three years old and it was several more years before he spoke fluently. He couldn’t read until he was seven and his teachers thought he was mentally retarded. Many scientists thought his theories were worthless and misleading. He truly exhibited great resilience.

Ulysses S. Grant graduated at the bottom of his West Point class. He spent the next  11 years in the army, only achieving the mere rank of captain before retiring. He then tried several different careers, including real estate and farming. When the civil war began he tried to obtain a suitable position in the army. He was transferred around to menial positions until he was given command of a regiment. Within a month he had risen to the rank of brigadier general. President Lincoln never lost faith in him despite the newspapers constantly denouncing him. Grant eventually defeated Robert E. Lee, negotiated the surrender that ended the war and even though he had never held a public office, was elected president of the United States. I don’t think too many people possess that kind of resilience.

What about Superman? When he falls he gets back up! Christopher Reeve suffered a spinal cord injury that paralyzed him from the neck down. He fell from his horse and was forever confined to a wheelchair. He didn’t let his accident crush his spirit. He helped others in his situation to improve their living conditions. He lobbied for funds for more research. He even went on to direct a movie that was nominated for 5 Emmy awards. He never allowed his suffering to swallow his resilience. What an incredible legacy he left us. He was a very good example of superman for sure!

It’s so easy to give in to discouragement and even to blame others for our problems. It’s hard to battle through the negativity that rages in our minds.  I have found that it helps me to take a step back and take some time to search the pages of history to give me courage to face an uncertain future. God has given us a marvelous resilience to reach a victorious outcome.