in Choose Hope Today, Resilience

Have you ever seen a baby bird crack out of its shell? First you see movement, a wobble. A hairline crack appears. More movement. A tiny hole, the crack widening. A little beak breaks through. After much time and effort, the shell is cracked wide and the bird pushes itself out, messy but free.

That shell was made of several layers, each one created to protect the bird, to keep it safe inside. But as the bird grows, if it doesn’t break out, it will suffocate in the very shell meant to protect it. So, the bird struggles, it moves, it pushes and it pecks until it emerges; and it must emerge, because everything the bird is meant to be is locked up in the layers of that shell, but it has to break through to experience it.

We build up our own layers, don’t we? Layers of protection from fear, layers of protection from pain, all creating an impenetrable barrier between us and the outside world, between us and our true selves. In the moment, it can feel safe to hide in the layers; but over time, those layers can suffocate, burying us beneath the detritus of regret, excuses, self-destructive behavior, and dysfunction.

Friend, it is time to break through the barriers you have created and peel off the layers that have been suffocating you. Let the air in, let the light in to reveal the new you. It is time to step over that threshold that divides your past from your possibilities. It is time to live into your new, true narrative.

Yes, there will be struggle, but did you know that part of the bird’s purpose in breaking out of its shell is to gain strength? There is purpose in its struggle for freedom, because it takes strength and resilience to fly free. Purpose can be found in any struggle, even in your struggle; and when you are willing to process through your pain and accept and grow from your experiences, you, too, will gain strength, discover resilience, and find freedom.

If you have worked through the previous Living Hope Practices of Surrender, Stillness, Grief, Forgiveness, Honesty, and Curiosity, your old coping mechanisms have been discarded, and you see yourself and your reality with a new perspective. But you mustn’t stop there. Peel off the layers of your old narrative so you can stand unburdened by the past, accepting that you are a new person and embracing the newfound Resilience that will help you thrive.

At Living Hope, Resilience is your 7th step on your journey to healing and Hope. Resilience is the willingness to accept all that you have been through and feel grateful that you have survived, knowing that, ultimately, you will thrive as you learn and grow from the pain you experienced. Resilience will allow you to become the person you are meant to be.

You will begin the Practice of Resilience when you find peace and renewal in your process and embrace the upward trajectory of your new narrative, which began in your first moment of Surrender. Drawing pride and strength from your journey, you will gain confidence in knowing that you have reclaimed another piece of who you are inherently meant to be.

You can begin the Practice of Resilience now. Look at how far you have come. Accept and appreciate your experiences for where they have led you. Take stock of your new understanding of who you truly are. Embrace your new narrative, show yourself kindness, and step over that threshold, knowing you will never go back.

Practice Resilience.