Weekly Devotion

February 28 2021

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive
crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle
barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

In the beginning of this year I was asked if I had picked my “word for the year”. To be honest I
hadn’t heard of this before the question was asked and it took me a little by surprise. So, like
often we do, I struck out to find some information and went straight to GOOGLE!
Quite quickly I found an article on the DaySpring website. DaySpring Cards is a greeting card
business born in a small commercial print shop in Covina, California, in 1971. The company was
founded by four Christian men - Dean Kerns, Don Leetch, Russ Flint, and Roy Lessin. These men
started DaySpring with a common vision, to make Christ known through the printed message.
In the article readers were challenged to see if they could replace their usual New Years
resolutions with a simple word. The challenge was prefaced with the reminder that 2020 left us
all a little broken, a little disappointed and a lot confused, but without change would 2021 be
any different? Their suggestion was to replace your usual New Years resolution with the truth
of God’s word and to choose one word that you would use to guide you, help you to make
decisions, comfort you when you are down in 2021.

After some thought and prayer I chose the word RESILIENT to be my word for 2021. Resiliency
is an adjective used to describe someone who is able to withstand or recover quickly from
difficult situations. If 2020 taught me anything it was that I was not nearly as flexible as I once
thought I was. I wasn’t nearly as capable as rolling with the flow as I once thought I was. I
wasn’t nearly as OK with the unknown as I once thought I was. Bottom line I wasn’t very
resilient.

In 2021 my prayer is that I take the things that I learned in 2020 and grow from them. I am
choosing to embrace that alone I am not resilient. Alone I am resistant. In 2021 I am choosing
to rely on the resiliency of my God. I am choosing to rely on God throughout the difficult
situations and through my faith I believe that He will make me more resilient and less resistant.
In 2021 I challenge you to decide whether or not you want to live a resistant life relying only on
yourself or a resilient life relying on the faithfulness of our Father.

Father God, We know that as your children we will not be immune to difficult times. Help us to
live life as resilient followers of You that show the world your faithfulness. Help us not to
crumble to the troubles of this life, but show others your goodness by withstanding those
difficult times with your help. Amen

Kristina Denley Dorr
Kris has been the Director of Children’s Ministry at Hernando UMC for 11 years and values FUN
in her ministry! She and he family live in Hernando. She is originally from Independence, MS and
grew up in Independence United Methodist Church. She is wife to Michael and Mom to Andrew
(22) and Shelby (16).