Jesuit priest and Professor of Theology and Ethics Dean Brackley defined contemplation as follows: “paying close attention to reality and allowing the truth to sink in, penetrate us, and stir our feelings and thoughts. […] action and contemplation are complementary […].”[1]
This past semester, I took a course entitled Christian Discernment and Decision Making and I was truly blessed by my small group members in this class. The last night of class we circled up and each member wrote a short paragraph about each member, basically saying what they appreciated about that specific person and what strengths and gifts they saw. Their encouraging words meant so much to me. They stated that I was a leader as well as a great listener. The strengths and gifts they saw in me opened my eyes and infiltrated my heart with encouragement and enlightenment. The truth in their writings truly affirmed that I am on the right vocational path. For the last part of our written final, we were to contemplate and reflect on the words our members wrote to us, so this is my contemplation. As usual, God really spoke through their words.
What struck me most was what Valdez – one of the small group members who is from the Bahamas – pointed out. He wrote, “You are without a doubt a strong leader and I would argue that resilience is one of your stronger qualities.” This word ‘resilience’ really caught me off guard. I have always considered myself to be a person who is timid in spirit, usually being afraid of any conflict or confrontation. For me ‘resilience’ meant the opposite of what I thought I was. This word baffled me so much that I looked up its definition. Resilience is defined as “the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.”[2] The words that I italicized in that definition really hit home. It recalled a specific scriptural passage to my mind: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”[3]
As I continued to struggle with this word, God gently revealed to me that it did indeed suit me. Though I may have gone through many trials and tribulations in my life, my faith in Christ has been constant. It is the foundation that I always hold onto and return to after being bent, compressed, and stretched. So, maybe I am resilient. As I grow in my faith and education my views are being challenged and pressed from every angle. Even though some of my thoughts and convictions have changed, they are only the stretch marks of my continual growth, because at the core, my salvation in Christ is unchanging.
God Bless You all and may you always be attuned to God's quiet yet powerful voice.
-Pip Q.
[1] Brackley, Dean. The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times, pp. 225.
[2] www.dictionary.com. Emphasis added.
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