About the Book:

The human soul has a built-in yearning for joy and beauty and all good things. But that craving for life has taken a real beating in the last few years. Join New York Times bestselling author John Eldredge as he gives you the tools you need to follow Jesus’ path of supernatural resilience so you can reclaim your joy, strengthen your heart, and thrive through the storm.

Between false promises of ease and comfort on one side and the sheer trauma of global disease and disasters on the other, people today are facing a shortage of peace, happiness, and strength. In Resilient, Eldredge reveals a path toward genuine recovery and resilience through Jesus himself.

Drawing on wisdom from Scripture and Christian tradition, and illustrated throughout with powerful, true stories of grit and survival, Resilient will help you:

• Recover from the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Tap into the river of life that God promises his people
• Learn to be patient with yourself–genuine recovery from spiritual and emotional trauma takes time and intentionality
• Create a plan to foster resilience in your day-to-day life
• Discover deep wells of freedom and strength through Christ who lives within us

Thriving requires a resilient soul. This book will help you find the resilience you long for when the world has gone mad–and discover in Jesus himself the strength that prevails.

My Thoughts:

Resilient builds on the thoughts introduced in Get Your Life Back. (See my review here: http://landofmysojourn.net/blog/?p=18644). You don’t have to read them both, but I certainly found it helpful.

I got the digital version of Resilient from the publisher, bought the hard copy and downloaded the audio book. I first listened to a chapter and then I read it. I take in some things better visually and some things better through listening. I’ve been digging into the idea of resilience this year and I didn’t want to just read this book, I wanted to deeply study and apply anything helpful. And this was a very helpful book.

Those of you who regularly read my reviews will know that I deeply appreciate Eldredge’s voice and that he has been influential in my own spiritual growth. So it may surprise you to know that I had to fight my way through the first part of this book. Not because of the content, but because of the language that framed it. Maybe more than ever I am feeling the dissonance of living in a culture outside of the American mindset. I could see the reality of the things he referred to, but I had to first say, “Oh, people think the end times will actually look like a zombie apocalypse?” before I could dig into the truth of what he was discussing. And that underlying truth was really beneficial! So I’d just say if the terms he uses to frame things seem odd, if the way that he presents something doesn’t immediately spark a connection, just keep reading and look for the heart of what he is saying. I’d also recommend praying over your reading. One thing the enemy of your soul doesn’t want is you engaging with something that can help move you toward renewal and restoration.

One thing in particular that I greatly appreciated in the content was John’s insistence at getting to the heart of the matter. He gave several of his own beliefs about end times and prophecies and yet he kept coming back to the fact that how exactly it plays out doesn’t really matter, but understanding that Scripture tells us that there are things that ARE playing out is the key.

The thoughts on desolation and renewal have been invaluable to me. The teaching on worry, anxiety and reclaiming both our minds and emotions is significant. I can’t imagine anyone reading this book and putting it into practice wouldn’t be transformed in some way.

There is a free 30 day module (two sessions: one morning and one evening) in the Pause App that you can work through as you read through this book. If you haven’t tried the free Pause App yet I recommend it to everyone! I started using it in 2020 and it’s a wonderful resource.

As I said, I’m digging into resilience. I’m reading all kinds of things on the subject. I’m listening to podcasts. I’m diving into the dynamics of belief, truth and spiritual warfare. And one thing that I’ll offer here in miniature (read the book for more) is that across the board, every resource I’m investigating leads me back to renewing our love for Jesus: remembering who He is, what He has done and letting the goodness of His character lead us back to a heart of surrendered worship. If you want to start today to renew your resilience then start with renewing your love for and intimacy with Jesus.

Bottom line: I bought the book and I received a free digital copy. And I highly recommend it.

As always, I am not required to give a positive review, but an honest one.