LESSON 8	*February 12 - 18   
   Resilience   
      
      
   SABBATH AFTERNOON   
   Read for This Week's Study: Job 19:25; James 5:10, 11; Ruth 1; Esther 2; 2   
   Cor. 11:23-28; Phil. 4:11-13.   
      
   Memory Text:   
      
      
   "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we   
   will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart   
   of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their   
   surging"(Psalm 46:1-3, NIV).   
      
        	Resilience is the process of facing adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats,   
   or extreme stress and "bouncing back" successfully without becoming too   
   negatively affected by the experience. The concept has received growing   
   attention because of the usefulness of possessing a reasonable amount of   
   resilience in the face of life's difficulties. After all, who among us doesn't   
   face major stressors, in one form or another? The question is, How can we have   
   the resilience to deal with what happens and not be destroyed emotionally in   
   the process?   
   In the 1960s, Victor and Mildred Goertzel wrote Cradles of Eminence, which   
   presented biographical analyses of more than 700 subjects who went through   
   great childhood adversity (broken homes, financial struggles, physical and/or   
   psychological handicaps, etc.) and yet achieved great success. The book was   
   updated in 2004.   
      
   The Bible also tells us of individuals who had to face adversity but who,   
   through God's grace, bounced back and overcame their problems. Despite   
   difficult circumstances and even flaws in their characters, they were able to   
   be used by God because they had the resilience to press on ahead, even amid   
   adverse circumstances.   
      
      
      
   *Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 19.   
      
   SUNDAY	February 13   
   The Patience of Job   
      
   Read James 5:10, 11. What is it about Job that makes him an example to be   
   emulated? See also Job 1-3.   
      
   A woman who underwent counseling to recover from a serious crisis told her   
   friends that one idea transmitted by the counselor was key to her successful   
   recovery. "What helped me most," she said, "was the counselor insisting that   
   my painful circumstances would come to an end. 'It looks dark and unending   
   now,' the counselor used to say, 'but it will not last too much longer.' This   
   thought helped me gain resilience." In other words, the counselor kept the   
   woman's hope alive.   
      
   How to grow in patience? George Goodman of England once received a young man   
   that needed to be prayed for. He expressed his need directly: "Mr. Goodman, I   
   wish you would pray for me that I might have patience."   
      
   The elderly man responded: "Yes, I will pray for you that you may have   
   tribulation."   
      
   "Oh, no, sir," the young man replied, "it is patience that I want."   
      
   "I understand," said Goodman, "and I will pray for you that you may have   
   tribulation." The Bible teacher opened his Bible and read Romans 5:3 to the   
   amazed young man: " 'And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:   
   knowing that tribulation worketh patience.' "   
      
   The story of Job offers a supreme example of resilience. Earlier in his life,   
   Job had understood that God is merciful and righteous. He did not understand   
   the reasons for his suffering; he did not find support from his wife; his   
   property and children were destroyed, and then he contracted a horrible   
   disease. And yet, somehow amid it all, he never lost his faith in God and   
   endured until the tragedy ended.   
      
   Read Job 19:25. What hope did Job cling to here? How can we better learn to   
   cling to this hope in our own adversity, as well?   
      
   Think about times you were going through something terrible. What hope   
   sustained you? What words spoken to you were helpful? Which ones were not so   
   helpful, or even harmful? What did you learn that would enable you to better   
   help someone who is going through great adversity now?   
   MONDAY	February 14   
   Joseph in Captivity   
      
   Read Genesis 37:19-28 and Genesis 39:12-20 and try to put yourself in Joseph's   
   sandals. Think how discouraged he must have been. Think of the potential for   
   anger and bitterness that could have, even justifiably, been his. Though the   
   Bible doesn't tell us in detail what his emotions were, it's not hard to   
   imagine the pain he suffered from such betrayal and treachery.   
      
   Nevertheless, Joseph turned to the Lord at these junctures, and in the end,   
   good things came out of the events. After having been sold by his brothers,   
   Joseph actually experienced his conversion and a much closer relationship with   
   God. "He had been told of the Lord's promises to Jacob, and how they had been   
   fulfilled--how, in the hour of need, the angels of God had come to instruct,   
   comfort, and protect him. And he had learned of the love of God in providing   
   for men a Redeemer. Now all these precious lessons came vividly before him.   
   Joseph believed that the God of his fathers would be his God. He then and   
   there gave himself fully to the Lord."--Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and   
   Prophets, pp. 213, 214.   
      
   When he was thrown in prison unjustly, the experience opened the path to the   
   court of Pharaoh to accomplish the mission to save many souls and his own   
   people.   
      
   What do the following texts tell us about how bad situations can be turned to   
   good?   
      
   Rom. 5:3-5   
   2 Cor. 1:3, 4   
   2 Cor. 1:8, 9   
   2 Tim. 1:11, 12   
   God does not want us to suffer needlessly. In fact, the environment Jesus has   
   prepared for us in heaven is tearless and painless (Rev. 21:4). But as we wait   
   for that promise to be fulfilled, it seems certain that pain is the path to   
   learn certain lessons. Character development, empathy, humility, discipleship,   
   understanding of good and evil--these are some of the lessons we can learn.   
   Although it is difficult to think of the benefits of suffering, especially in   
   the midst of trial, we can ask God for the necessary strength to pass through   
   difficulties.   
      
   Have you ever had a terrible experience that in the end brought some good,   
   some benefit? How can this help you learn to trust the Lord in any adversity,   
   even when nothing good seems likely to result?   
   TUESDAY	February 15   
   Naomi   
      
   What are some of the misfortunes experienced by Naomi? Ruth 1.   
      
   Leaving one's country to settle somewhere else is always scary, especially   
   when the departure is motivated by the need to survive. The famine in Judah   
   forced Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons to emigrate to the country of   
   Moab, an agricultural area where they could obtain food. The Moabites were an   
   idolatrous people (Judg. 10:6) whose practices clashed with Jewish beliefs.   
   This in itself must have produced significant turmoil to the newcomers.   
   Sometime after having settled, Naomi's husband died. Mother and sons found   
   themselves in a foreign land, degraded to the condition of widow and orphans,   
   without protection and subject to additional disgrace. Then Naomi's sons,   
   Mahlon and Kilion, married local women. This fact may have brought conflict to   
   the family, at least in the beginning, because of significant religious   
   differences. Although the law did not specifically prohibit marriages between   
   Jews and Moabites, it was stipulated that Moabites or their descendants could   
   not enter the assembly of the Lord until after ten generations (Deut. 23:3).   
      
   Later on, Mahlon and Killion, whose names meant "sickness" and "wasting,"   
   respectively, also died. It is hard to imagine a more tragic situation in the   
   life of Naomi--no one alive from her close family, and the remaining kin far   
   away in Bethlehem.   
      
   What was the turning point in Naomi's life? How did God repair the severe   
   adversities suffered by Naomi? Ruth 1:16-18, 4:13-17.   
      
   At the deepest moment of trouble Naomi's daughter-in-law Ruth served as   
   God-sent emotional support. Naomi must have been a remarkable woman to have   
   inspired the devotion of her two daughters-in-law, especially Ruth, who   
   accepted the God of Israel and made the firm decision to care for her   
   mother-in-law for life in a land whose inhabitants were, historically, her   
   enemies.   
      
   Chapters 2 through 4 convey a beautiful succession of events that ended up in   
   a happy family arrangement. Naomi left behind untold suffering and lived to   
   witness the marriage of Ruth to Boaz and the birth of her grandson Obed, the   
   father of Jesse, the father of David.   
      
   However much we ultimately need to trust the Lord and surrender everything to   
   Him, at times we do need human help, as well. When was the last time you   
   really needed someone's help? What did you gain from that experience?   
   WEDNESDAY	February 16   
   Esther's Days of Stress   
      
   What were some of the adversities, struggles, and pressures Esther faced?   
      
   Esther 2:6, 7   
   Esther 2:10   
   Esther 2:21, 22   
   Esther 4:4-17   
   Esther 7:3, 4; 8:3   
   Since early life Esther had been an orphan. Although she was adopted by her   
   older cousin Mordecai, the stigma of parentless childhood was most surely   
   difficult. In spite of this, Esther grew up as a balanced, determined, and   
   capable young woman.   
      
   After she became queen, Esther did not reveal her nationality or family   
   background. This was a particularly heavy challenge. Surrounded by food,   
   luxuries, and practices of life in the court, Esther had to somehow try to   
   maintain her Jewish faith and identity. In addition, the risk of being   
   identified as a member of the Jewish people was real, and the consequences of   
   hiding her identity were uncertain.   
      
   Esther also had to take to the king the bad news that officers were conspiring   
   to kill him. This was not an easy task because, if the plot could not be   
   substantiated, Esther and her cousin could be blamed for starting rumors, and   
   who knew the results?   
      
   But the greatest responsibility placed on Esther was being left as the sole   
   channel to save her nation. Mordecai asked her to mediate on behalf of the   
   Jews, which she could not do without risking her life. When she hesitated, her   
   cousin put still more pressure on her: "If you remain silent at this time,   
   relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and   
   your father's family will perish" (Esther 4:14, NIV). Talk about stress!   
      
   Finally she appeared before the king, knowing that such an act carried with it   
   a high chance of death. In the end, though, things worked out, however   
   dangerous the situation at times was for this young woman.   
      
   All of us, like Esther, are born into situations not of our own making. What   
   is your background? What things were handed you, good and bad, that you didn't   
   ask for? How can you learn to appreciate more the good that you have been   
   given and to overcome the bad?   
   THURSDAY	February 17   
   The Secret of Being Content   
      
   Paul was born and grew up in Tarsus, into a Hebrew family from the tribe of   
   Benjamin. He obtained his Roman nationality through his father, a citizen of   
   the Roman Empire. He became a Pharisee, a devout group who adhered to the law   
   (Torah) plus the oral tradition (Mishnah). With this background, he must have   
   enjoyed the privileges of his social and religious status.   
      
   However, when Paul responded to the call of Jesus, everything changed. Instead   
   of persecutor, he became the target of radical persecution from some of his   
   own nation and eventually from Romans. He suffered tribulations for three   
   decades and was executed after having been imprisoned at Rome.   
      
   Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, which lists some of the adversities Paul had to   
   face. Then read Philippians 4:11- 13. After so much suffering, what is the   
   assessment Paul makes of his own life? What lessons are here for us amid   
   whatever struggles we're going through?   
      
   Contentment is a crucial component of happiness and psychological well-being.   
   Being content comes to those who see the positive outlook of things, those who   
   look at the past with acceptance and at the future with hope. Interestingly   
   enough, having "everything" doesn't guarantee contentment and happiness. For   
   some folk, no matter what they have, it's never enough. Others, having so   
   little, are nevertheless satisfied. What do you think makes the difference?   
      
   One of the many current definitions of "intelligence" is the ability to adapt   
   to new situations. This may have to do with living in new places, relating to   
   new people, experiencing new socioeconomic conditions. Paul's ability is not a   
   hereditary trait, because he specifically says: "I have learned to be content"   
   (Phil. 4:12, NIV). This is not a capacity that some possess and others do not.   
   Adaptation and contentment amid a wide range of circumstances are learned   
   processes that come over time and practice.   
      
   Verse 13 gives the ultimate key to Paul's resilience. Not only could he feel   
   contentment with little or much material resources. He could do anything and   
   everything in Jesus Christ.   
      
   How content are you? How much are you tossed around and victimized by your   
   circumstances? What are ways in which you can learn better to be "content in   
   any and every situation" (vs. 11, NIV)?   
   FRIDAY	February 18   
   Further Study:   
      
      
   "The powers of darkness gather about the soul and shut Jesus from our sight,   
   and at times we can only wait in sorrow and amazement until the cloud passes   
   over. These seasons are sometimes terrible. Hope seems to fail, and despair   
   seizes upon us. In these dreadful hours we must learn to trust, to depend   
   solely upon the merits of the atonement, and in all our helpless unworthiness   
   cast ourselves upon the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour. We shall   
   never perish while we do this--never! When light shines on our pathway, it is   
   no great thing to be strong in the strength of grace. But to wait patiently in   
   hope when clouds envelop us and all is dark requires faith and submission   
   which causes our will to be swallowed up in the will of God. We are too   
   quickly discouraged, and earnestly cry for the trial to be removed from us,   
   when we should plead for patience to endure and grace to overcome."--Ellen G.   
   White, God's Amazing Grace, p. 114.   
      
   Discussion Questions:   
      
    	   Some folk overcome hardships that others are crushed under. What do you   
   think makes the difference?   
     Dwell more on the question of trials and tragedy that don't seem to have any   
   kind of happy ending. What are we to make of them? How do we reconcile them   
   with our faith and the promises of God?   
      
      In the third sentence of the quote in Friday's study ("In these dreadful   
   hours we must . . ."), what is Ellen G. White telling us? Where is she   
   pointing our hope? Why, in the end, is the gospel, as presented in these   
   words, our only hope, regardless of the tragedy that happens to us now?   
      
      How can you practically apply Peter's counsel in 1 Peter 4:12, 13? It's one   
   thing to remain resilient and faithful amid trial, but to do what Peter says?   
   How is that possible?   
      
      Suppose you were dealing with someone in a very dire situation, one in   
   which there seemed no way out, humanly speaking. Suppose, too, that you had   
   only five minutes with that person. In those few minutes, what would you say   
   to give the person hope?   
      
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