Don’t break, bounce back (1) - All The Word for Today Daily Devotionals for 2026

‘Since my youth they have often attacked me, but they have not prevailed against me.’ Psalm 129:2 CSB
When resilient people hit bottom, they don’t break, they bounce back. The apostle Paul was such a person: ‘We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.’ (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 CSB). So, how can you bounce back instead of breaking? By doing two things:

1) When you can’t control your circumstances, take control of your life. When a back injury paralysed Angela Madsen from the waist down, she vowed to do whatever it took to get back up. As a result, she started training to be the first woman with a disability to row across the Atlantic. Journalist Denise Foley writes: ‘Madsen is what researchers call ‘resilient’… able to rebound from whatever difficulty life brings. She is one of those people who … make us wonder how we would fare if our own mettle were tested. Would we bounce back?’ 2) Instead of complaining about the wrong people being in your life, start looking for the right people. Ned Hallowell grew up with a father with bipolar, an abusive stepfather, an alcoholic mother, and two learning disabilities—a history that’s often a precursor to jail or a mental health facility. But he went on to become a prominent psychiatrist, a happily married father, and a successful author. It happened largely because, at a boarding school, he attached himself to teachers who cared about him and took him under their wing. So, when times are tough, lean on God, take control of your life, and look for the right people.

SoulFood: Num 25-26 Mark 4:13-25 Ps 37:32-40 Pro 11:7-8