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“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”  James 1:2-3 (NIV)

They come in different shapes and colors and are often spotted on the desks of office workers everywhere. Their foamy texture allows for them to be squeezed into a much smaller size and return to their original sizes in just seconds.  On any given day, they may go through that process hundreds of time. If you are thinking squeeze balls, you got it! Though squeeze balls were originally invented to help reduce stress, today they are used by people for an array of purposes, including exercises to strengthen hand/arm muscles, to improve grip, such as opening jars, to avoid carpal tunnel, and much more. Who would think that some small foam object could be used for so many purposes, right? Yet, there they are!

Just like squeeze balls, the human being is versatile. We are born small and fragile, dependent on our caretakers to bathe us, to feed us, to burp us, to change us, to teach us to talk, to help us learn to walk, and so on. Then we grow up and, being the teachable beings that we are, we learn anything and everything that is made available to us audibly, visibly, mentally (keep telling yourself you can do something, and you will), and so forth. And just like squeeze balls, when we face something stressful that causes our mood and self-esteem to be deflated, we may feel like we don’t amount to much at all. We may feel sad and depressed until the natural resilience built-in within us is ignited by a kind and encouraging word or deed, by the hug and the presence of a loving friend, and the support of our family.  Voilà, we get right back up and we regain our strength and power to stand on our own two feet.  We begin to believe that our reason for being, the reason we exist is to bring something good to the place where we are planted. No one person is unimportant to God.  When we place ourselves at His disposal with our gifts and ask Him to make His will known to us, He will enable us to be used and to have a purpose that will leave a legacy of good for others.

“Thank You, Lord, for making us resilient and purpose-driven.”

For His Glory

Luska Suzano
TRBC Women’s Life