The past year has been a lesson in resilience, which is developed uniquely under challenging circumstances. Without adversity, there’s no tenacity. Without being knocked down, there’s no getting back up. It’s only in less-than-ideal circumstances that we can overcome. Resilience not only enables us to survive and even thrive despite our circumstances, it also comes with spiritual blessings and growth.

As on the field, so in the life of the follower of Jesus Christ, the hardest job is done by the Keeper.

Though I’d read this psalm many times before, I’d never quite been able to visualize it. I knew from context that being under a wing signified some kind of protection. Yet, through this imagery of a mamma swan with her hidden cygnets, God has demonstrated the very way in which he cares for us.