• Stiffness: how much a material conforms when pressure is placed on it. Your memory foam is preferable to your old mattress because it adapts to your body shape. (As a leader, how do you respond to the pressure to “conform to the culture” for greater relevance and reach?)

Hardness, toughness, and stiffness refer to qualities that enable materials and people to withstand pressure. As Christian leaders, there are times when the most appropriate response to a challenge is to “put on the full armor” and “stand firm,” as we are reminded in Ephesians 6:10-18.

But our response to pressure sometimes requires a different strategy – practicing resilience.

But our response to pressure sometimes requires a different strategy – practicing resilience.

• Resilience: a material’s ability to absorb energy and return to its normal state after the energy is unloaded. The cord used on your last bungee jump was made primarily of rubber - and that’s a good thing! (As a leader, how well do you adapt and “bounce back” after the stress of a challenging situation?)

Resilience is important because walking in God’s assignment will be pressure-filled, and sometimes our best efforts will bring about a result that we did not desire.

Elijah’s Resilience

Elijah stood firm as he faced the showdown at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18 & 19). But his work did not bring about the result he expected. There was no great change of heart of the nation. For the powerful and influential, it instigated greater resistance. During times when our work fails to produce desired results and leaves us with undesirable realities, we, like Elijah, can say, “I’ve had enough - I’m done!”

But God shows us, through Elijah, what it takes to be resilient or “bounce back” – how to recover, readjust, and re-engage in our work even in the face of pressure and unpleasant realities.

• Recover: Recovery involved the physical sustenance of an exhausted prophet. Food and rest were the first interventions to put the prophet back on track. Recovery also involved the respite of physical distance from the pressure and assurance of the close presence of God. (Christian leaders can practice the recovery aspect of resilience by asking, “How can I gain some strength and some space to process the challenge I am up against?”)

• Readjust: Readjustment involved supplying Elijah with the time and space to pray and process with God. Like Elijah, shattered expectations leave us thinking about who we are, how we got here, and what it might mean. Processing and praying about these thoughts help get us back on track. (Christian leaders can practice the readjustment aspect of resilience by considering the challenge they are up against and asking, “What am I saying to myself about who I am, how I got here, and what this means?”)

• Re-engage: Re-engagement involved giving Elijah new marching orders along with needed support to carry them out. (Christian leaders can practice the re-engagement aspect of resilience by asking, “What is the next small step forward that God is asking me to take?”)

There are times when Christian leaders under pressure are called upon to resist and not give way. Withstanding pressure takes tenacity.

Practicing resilience takes time.

There are times when Christian leaders under pressure must practice the disciplines of resilience to gain strength and perspective to continue on in their mission. Practicing resilience takes time.

The world encourages us to put out fires by rushing from one challenge to the next. Taking the time to practice the disciplines of resilience can make us truly ready for what comes next.

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Ginger Hill is a Christian wellness speaker, coach and consultant and the founder of Good Health for Good Works where she helps the earnest, but often exhausted, workers in Christian organizations to take steps toward healthier living so they can serve with​ energy, excellence and endurance.