Resilience (n.) The capacity to withstand hardship or to recover quickly from difficulty; toughness. We toss around the word resilience today when we talk about stress, setbacks or missed opportunities. But what does true resilience look like? To see it clearly, step into the life of someone born in 1900 : Age 14 → World War I begins (1914–1918). By 18, they’ve lived through a war that claimed 22 million lives. Age 18 → The Spanish Flu pandemic (1918–1920) kills an estimated 50 million. Surviving meant grit beyond imagination. Age 29 → The Wall Street Crash triggers the Great Depression. Hunger, unemployment and despair define an era. Age 33 → The rise of Nazism reshapes global politics and stirs fear across continents. Age 39 → World War II erupts (1939–1945). By the end, over 60 million are dead. Age 52 → The Korean War (1950–1953) claims over 5 million lives. Age 64 → The Vietnam War escalates (1964–1975). By its end, more than 1 million have perished. ⚡ Meanwhile, they rai...
For generations, we’ve been taught that Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden as a punishment for disobedience. This traditional view paints a picture of an angry God, a severed relationship and a humanity left forever in guilt and shame. According to this narrative, God’s anger must be appeased—often through violence—and Jesus stands as a shield between us and a wrathful cosmic judge. But is this really the heart of the story? Or have we missed a deeper, more hopeful meaning? Beyond Punishment: A deeper Reading of the Garden When we look closely at the garden story in Genesis, we discover it’s about much more than punishment and exclusion. What if the story is not about divine vengeance, but about consequence and transformation? Consequence, Not Vengeance Adam and Eve’s choice brought immediate consequence. Their eyes were opened—not just to knowledge, but to shame, fear and a sense of separation. Notice the text: it never says God turned away ...