How to Make Yourself More Resilient: Challenge 2026

I’m sitting here on my front step when I hear the song for the first time. Prayers catch in my throat as I think of resilient friends facing unfathomable pain, fresh grief, and the slow, cyclical journey of recovery. 

Undone by the intensity of Anna Golden’s voice and the potency of the lyrics, I replay the song when it finishes. The next morning I run another practice half marathon, and I listen to the song on repeat the entire time. When I take a couple of turns driving en route to New York City, I play the song on repeat in my earbuds, blinking back tears as I pray.

If the song makes you cry, there’s no judgment here. Because the things that feel tender for you and me may not be the same, but we’ve all got something we’re asking God to redeem. Something we wish we could forget. Freedom we wish we could find.

Anna invites us into the story of Joseph through her song “Manassah.” Joseph, you might remember from the Bible stories, once owned a colorful cloak (a gift from his doting father) and had vivid dreams of being in charge. But between these dreams and his role as second only to the king of Egypt are thirteen years of heartache. He endured his brothers’ scorn, being sold into slavery (and separated from his family), and a false accusation that resulted in a lengthy prison stay.

Fast forward to more favorable years, and Joseph has a son whom he names Manassah, declaring that “God has made me forget all about my hardship and all of my father’s family” (Genesis 41:51, The Voice). Manassah’s name is a daily reminder to Joseph that the pain of the past cannot erase the goodness of God. 

And maybe you need that reminder too. Because right now, the pain is louder. The healing is still happening. And hope feels far away.

How to Become More Resilient

If there were a snap-of-the-fingers way to make you more resilient, I would share it in a heartbeat. But stirring in my heart is this: resilience is built one gratitude at a time. It’s born in the before, when we tell God thank you before He intervenes, rescues, or redeems.

I’ve seen this sequence in my own life, as I stand on the faithfulness of God in seasons that feel uncertain. And I’ve witnessed the way gratitude shapes our character and our hope through story after story on Begin Within: A Gratitude Series. As host of the series, I get the privilege of a front-row view of the resilience that grows from gratitude.

Truth is, our rebound-ability is not a byproduct of gumption but of gratitude. It’s not rooted in our ability but in God’s. Not in our finitude (human limitations) but in God’s faithfulness.

As we stack up evidence of God’s faithfulness, our trust in Him grows.

As we thank Him in advance, our faith deepens.

And as we bank our hope on the constancy of God, we become more resilient.

2026 Gratitude Challenge

Here at my desk, a wood-wick candle flickers, and outside my window are trees with a slight tinge of fall color. It’s October, and that means it’s almost November–one of my favorite months of the year.

November is a hand-delivered invitation to steep in thanks for an entire month. To see amongst the browns and grays the life that grows within a grateful heart. To pause our own work to lean into the wonder of where God is at work. 

To slow.

To savor.

To surrender.

To reach for our phones to capture traces of God’s faithfulness, rather than to scroll.

To stand in the tangle of unknowns and not-yets and remember that God is who He always is:

All-knowing

All-powerful

Immeasurably kind

Generously good

Every November for the past seven years, I’ve offered a gratitude challenge. Each year is different, and this year is no exception.

As I was praying for direction, quietly holding an idea in open hands, God kindly confirmed it by means of a story. At the end of his message last Sunday, my pastor shared how George Müller thanked God for what God hadn’t yet set on the table. 

Let me explain.

One day, George Müller had hundreds of orphans in his care but no food for their breakfast. Calmly, he asked them to sit at the table, as if they were about to eat. Then he prayed, thanking God for the meal, as if they were about to eat. But the table was still empty. 

Shortly after he finished praying, there comes a knock at the door. First, it’s a local baker, who’d been prompted the night before to bake bread for the children.

A second knock comes. This time it’s a milkman, explaining that his milk cart broke down next to the orphanage, asking if the children will take the milk so it doesn’t go to waste.

That day, George Müller thanked God in advance for His provision. And that’s exactly what I’m inviting you to do through the #ResilientGratitude challenge.

Take the #ResilientGratitude Challenge

If you want to become more resilient to change, disappointment, stress, betrayal, loss, anxiety, long seasons of waiting, or the tender journey of recovery, this gratitude challenge is for you.

Every day of the challenge, we will respond to this line:

Before You intervene, rescue, or redeem . . . thank you, Lord, for this reminder of Your faithfulness:

There is a specific prompt for each day to guide you as you look for evidence of our faithful God.

Grab the challenge prompts–and an easy-to-use template for sharing your photos on social media or to your Instagram/Facebook story. Also new this year are invites so you can share the gratitude challenge with a few friends.

Get instant access to all of this right here:

But before you go, I want you to know that I’m already praying for you. I’m praying that no matter what feels hard in your life right now, that hope will tether you to the trustworthiness of God. That even now, in anticipation of the gratitude challenge, your resilience will become stronger. Your thanks will come more readily. And trust will turn you back, again and again, to the One you can always count on.

Just a friend over here in your corner,

P.S. Prefer the audio? Listen to The Uncommon Normal podcast for the same weekly content! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or listen to the latest episodes right here!