This is the perfect post-pandemic book for the Christian reader. John Eldredge puts into words the emotions that we have all felt as we lived through the uncertainty of the past few years. During a time of fear and unrest, our souls have taken on a low-level anxiety that is compounded by each traumatic event. In Resilient, Eldredge teaches the importance of showing grace to ourselves and others as we work to heal our souls with calm, quiet times of prayer and meditation.

I really enjoy reading books from John Eldredge. He has a great writing style and this book is on a very current topic. I think the amount of trauma the pandemic caused on a personal level varies a lot from person to person but the impact on the world is undeniable. John makes a good case explaining the trauma and pointing us to resilience. In the end it does get a bit repetitive but I can still recommend the book.

Resilient builds on the thoughts introduced in Get Your Life Back. (See my review here: http://landofmysojourn.net/blog/?p=18644). You don’t have to read them both, but I certainly found it helpful.

I got the digital version of Resilient from the publisher, bought the hard copy and downloaded the audio book. I first listened to a chapter and then I read it. I take in some things better visually and some things better through listening. I’ve been digging into the idea of resilience this year and I didn’t want to just read this book, I wanted to deeply study and apply anything helpful. And this was a very helpful book.

Those of you who regularly read my reviews will know that I deeply appreciate Eldredge’s voice and that he has been influential in my own spiritual growth. So it may surprise you to know that I had to fight my way through the first part of this book. Not because of the content, but because of the language that framed it. Maybe more than ever I am feeling the dissonance of living in a culture outside of the American mindset. I could see the reality of the things he referred to, but I had to first say, “Oh, people think the end times will actually look like a zombie apocalypse?” before I could dig into the truth of what he was discussing. And that underlying truth was really beneficial! So I’d just say if the terms he uses to frame things seem odd, if the way that he presents something doesn’t immediately spark a connection, just keep reading and look for the heart of what he is saying. I’d also recommend praying over your reading. One thing the enemy of your soul doesn’t want is you engaging with something that can help move you toward renewal and restoration.

One thing in particular that I greatly appreciated in the content was John’s insistence at getting to the heart of the matter. He gave several of his own beliefs about end times and prophecies and yet he kept coming back to the fact that how exactly it plays out doesn’t really matter, but understanding that Scripture tells us that there are things that ARE playing out is the key.

The thoughts on desolation and renewal have been invaluable to me. The teaching on worry, anxiety and reclaiming both our minds and emotions is significant. I can’t imagine anyone reading this book and putting it into practice wouldn’t be transformed in some way.

There is a free 30 day module (two sessions: one morning and one evening) in the Pause App that you can work through as you read through this book. If you haven’t tried the free Pause App yet I recommend it to everyone! I started using it in 2020 and it’s a wonderful resource.

As I said, I’m digging into resilience. I’m reading all kinds of things on the subject. I’m listening to podcasts. I’m diving into the dynamics of belief, truth and spiritual warfare. And one thing that I’ll offer here in miniature (read the book for more) is that across the board, every resource I’m investigating leads me back to renewing our love for Jesus: remembering who He is, what He has done and letting the goodness of His character lead us back to a heart of surrendered worship. If you want to start today to renew your resilience then start with renewing your love for and intimacy with Jesus.

Bottom line: I bought the book and I received a free digital copy. And I highly recommend it.

As always, I am not required to give a positive review, but an honest one.

In this thought-provoking work, John Eldredge shares the experience of many people (not just Christians) during the covid-19 pandemic pandamonium.
He takes on the root cause of the panic and shares how we should be handling the world as we continue to make our way back to some semblance of normal.
He even shares some insights on the end times and the great falling away.

John Eldredge has always been one of my favorite writers once I was fortunate enough to have discovered him. He writes to my soul, straight to my heart. This is because he gets it. He gets the struggle of being in this world. He understands too the victory that Jesus has already won - and the tension between those two realities. Reading this book will help you slow down, take a deep breath, and focus on the God who can help you with the pace of life and the challenges of the day. I love how he starts each chapter with a real-life situation or story that we can relate to and allows him to expound on his points, and then ends with a vulnerable, heart-felt open prayer to bring application to our spirit. The theme running through his works is that God is after our heart, but so is our enemy. All of life is related to that struggle, that battle. The timing of the book is too, because just Eldridge, we have all gone through more than we know these past couple years and lost some things along the way during the pandemic. If we are not aware and careful - it impacts our heart and the way we see life, which he so eloquently discusses. He calls the book "a survival guide" with "tools for strengthening heart and soul". That alone should be the reason you too want to read this one. I was advanced a copy through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review without commitment to recommend the book, though it was so good I did buy a copy for myself.

John Elderidge's Resilient is definitely a book for our times. As we struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic, global disasters and social unrest, it reminds us that Jesus can calm our storms, restore our hearts and comfort our souls. The author is a trained counselor and this book is a balm for the weary and troubled. Highly recommended.

Great Christian read for understanding your trauma of COVID. Also the fact that things aren't back to normal and will never be, this book helps ease the feelings we all have surrounding the situation. I loved the interspersed stories of survival situations. Being "resilient" is mind, body and spirit. This book captures them all.
I did find chapter 5 a little awkward of a comparison between mothers breastfeeding us as children and the nourishment God gives us, "assurance of abundance".
Other than that I felt he was spot on with biblical verses and stories relating to this topic.

This was such a great and timely read for me. I think with everything that’s happened the last 5 years we have all been living from our reserve. Even if it’s just to survive our new to us way of living, I know how important it is to lean in to the Holy Spirit. And to lean in before you are empty, everyday even in the mundane little parts of life. We need Him.

This book was really able to put words to a few ways I was feeling that I couldn’t explain. I know if others read thi book they won’t regret it, I hope that they feel seen and heard like I had.

Resilient is an eye-opening, timely work of realistic, but encouraging Christian nonfiction addressing issues of the modern age. This book offers insights and tools for staying steadfast in following Jesus, as we struggle with the need to have a break and get back to “the good life”. We are all weary and worn down and seeking a break from the hardships of life. That’s understandable, relatable, and truly how we are created-for order, peaceful productivity, creativeness and beauty. But what price are we willing to pay for it? And where are we seeking this relief and restoration?

As John Eldredge explains a great falling away is, and will continue to occur, even amongst believers, who are suffering from prolonged disappointment and disillusionment. Learning how to be resilient, a much needed trait in this generation, is key. Lasting resilience can only be found in Jesus, himself. With scripture, biblical principles, and historical anecdotes, Resilient gives you the tools and inspiration to deal with the trauma of these past years and enables you to move forward with strength and a firm foundation and faith in Christ.

While this book is not my favorite of his books, the context rings true and is a much-needed, deeply insightful book. I am grateful I had the opportunity to read it and feel enriched and from its content.

What a beautiful and encouraging read after walking through the pandemic! Mr. Eldredge encourages to see that this is God's story and His story is coming to a climax. It is important to see our story as He shapes it within His larger story! Mr. Eldredge writes with such grace, encouragement and conviction.

In the book Resilient, author John Eldredge, shows us that resilience is important for our lives more today than ever. After coming out of the Covid pandemic Eldredge writes: “We haven’t yet paid the psychological bill for all we’ve been through. We would never tell a survivor of abuse that the trauma must be over now that the abuse has stopped. And yet that mentality is at play in our collective denial of the trauma we’ve been through.”
But its not just working through the trauma of the events, its also the aftermath. Eldredge writes: “….when trials and heartbreaks wash in, the longing rises to the surface like a whale coming up for air, filled with momentum and force. This is especially true after times of severe testing, because during the testing we are rallying. But when the storm subsides, the longing for things to be good again rises up to demand relief. How we shepherd this longing—so crucial to our identity and the true life of our heart—how we listen to it but also guide it in right or wrong directions, this determines our fate.”
I would highly recommend this book to anyone that is going through or coming out of a crisis. Eldredge gives great insight and tools to help. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

John Eldredge managed to have another book that is wonderful!
I love the name and how Resilient we are in Christ and we can have rest and our soul can be restored.
lots of prayers and ideas are in it and you have to do the hard part of cultivating it in your life.

John Eldredge offers insightful observations about how many Americans are currently experiencing post-Covid trauma. He believes that one way this trauma displays itself is in behaviors that indicate a sense of loss and detachment similar to that of a child who never bonded with his or her mother. Interesting reading! He interweaves short examples of well-known people whose resilience in hard circumstances literally saved their lives. For Christians, Eldredge declares how God is our solid foundation for having the resilience we need to survive these perilous times of Falling Away and other dangers. This book helped me to recognize and understand Covid's non-physical ramifications.

I received a copy of this book for review.

Resilient by John Eldridge offers restoration for the soul and hope on the heels of a global pandemic and for today’s turbulent times. Intended to be a survival guide John shares true stories of human resilience as well as practical tools and sound, biblically-based instruction to strengthen your heart and soul.

The author covers such topics as wanting life to be good again, finding the strength to prevail, the assurance of abundance and how readers can develop their own plan for resilience and victory. I found Resilient, complete with various prayers to help develop resilience, to be both interesting and insightful. I highly recommend this book for those looking for spiritual restoration and renewal.

The goal of God’s work in us is Jesus taking up residence in every part of us. I love this quote. I read it in an advance copy I received of Resilient: Restoring Your Weary Soul In These Turbulent Times by John Eldredge.
This is how I think of my Centering Prayer sits. I sit with Jesus. I let go of me, allow Jesus to work in me and take up residence in every part of me. Then I get up from my sit and walk with Jesus. We partner as I move through the day. I return to my sits each day to be refilled by Jesus.

It took me a lot longer to read this book than I had anticipated. I have read books by Mr. Eldredge before and have greatly enjoyed and been moved by them. I usually learn a lot from his books and am encouraged in making changes in my own life.

That said, I was expecting something very different from this book. Resilience is something which I think our society and people in it greatly need a renewal in. I had hoped for a book which would incite and encourage such a renewal. However, the book took on a more depressing tilt with more dialogue (seemingly) about COVID breaking us and the end of the world being near.

So what if it is and what if we are broken? We have a God who will restore us. A God whose grace will be sufficient for everything that we face. We need only rely on him, for he makes all things, even the seemingly impossible, possible. I had hoped the focus would be on a response like that! While there were comments and prayers to that effect, they were not the primary focus.

I found the title and description a little deceiving in that sense. The book didn’t seem to be so much about resilience as of our brokenness and struggling. I did gain new insights and was led deeper into considerations about these matters. So, I did not necessarily dislike the book entirely! However, it was very much not what I expected from the title and description and, because of that, made it hard to read and approach in the proper way.

This is a hard topic to cover, especially when we are still so near to what happened. Maybe what I am seeing in the book is the processing of the events still when I was hoping for more conviction and conclusion.

I still highly suggest Mr. Eldgrege’s books! Including this one if you’re prepared to go into this topic.

*This book was given to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed are completely my own.*

Resilient by John Eldridge is such an important book. I have read other books from this author, and this book is my favorite by far. This book is the perfect read for a world so disillusioned after the pandemic. It is a breath of fresh air, giving back the purpose that God designed. I love the way the author uses Scripture to show the hope we possess in Christ. This book is one to read again and again. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

The prayers and meditations alone in this book are worth buying it. I really enjoyed the focus on getting back to the heart of the matter and putting God as the priority and searching within to find God. A timely book for our generation especially after everything globally that has happened and all the news that we get bombarded with daily. We have reached deep, but are often giving from near empty tanks. A great resource with provided prayers and meditations to pause and rest in Jesus.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Christian author and counselor John Eldredge‘s “Resilient” is the perfect read after all we’ve been facing. He used the recent pandemic and prophecies about the end of the age to share with readers a way to access the source of our resiliency and strength found in Jesus Christ.
Eldredge said “comfort culture” has made us softies with our easy and fast access to so many of our wants and needs. We’ve become less resilient than previous generations. For example, my grandparents lived through the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and World War II. They became more creative and resourceful when facing supply shortages. They learned how to tighten their belts and band together in their communities. They didn’t have this vast access to up-to-the-minute news and demands for their time from electronic devices.
Eldredge said we likewise have been through trauma with the global pandemic. Even before the pandemic though, he said we were headed toward burnout. We already had the perfect storm brewing with the constant connection to social media and steady stream of news updates on the death count, mask wars, the need for a vaccine and then societal and political unrest. No one could make plans. The end seemed nowhere in sight. Now, we just want things to go back to normal, he said. We want life to be good again.
But he said the last years of grief, loss, fear, strife, heartache and soul-crushing desolation took a toll on the human spirit. Eldredge then said something Karl Mordo said to Dr. Strange in the Marvel movie: “The bill comes due.” People who stayed the course during the pandemic had to rally many times. They didn’t have time to recovery and replenish their emotional and mental stores. Even when it looked like things were back to normal, people found that sense of desolation and disquiet in their spirits. Many became like camels who will walk many miles through the desert showing no signs of distress …and then drop dead (an example from the opening chapter).
Eldredge thankfully didn’t wait to help readers learn how to regain a spirit of resilience. He discussed skills in every chapter to help draw from the river of life found in Jesus Christ, the sustainer and ruler of life and the universe. Nothing escapes God’s notice. Nothing is out of His control. Eldredge wanted readers to cling to this fact and ask for God’s strength to endure and draw upon His endless supply of resilience. He encouraged readers to become “singlehearted” and make God the center of their daily lives. We need to take our attention off the world and refocus attention to our part in His love story.
Eldredge shared stories of people who survived (and didn’t survive) traumatic events in a way that drew me in and had me scouring the Internet for more information. For example, in chapter 5, Eldredge talked about the importance of the mother in childhood development. “Mother wounds” develop from poor attachment. We have a primal need for an “assurance of abundance” at our birth and moms because the source of that love and reassurance that she will supply our needs, just like God supplies His children.
One footnote in that chapter led me to look up Dr. Robert Karen’s “Becoming Attached.” I checked out the book online for an hour through this free library called “Internet Archive.” Dr. Karen talked about a silent film with “grainy, flickering images” of “Jane, a little Black baby” whose mother left for a three-month period. It comes from this 1947 study called “Grief: A Peril in Infancy.” I actually found the video on YouTube he talked about, an original silent film with headings from child psychologist Katherine Wolf and psychoanalyst René Spitz. They provided the film evidence as part of their research that focused on the effect of long-term absence from their mother during the first year of life.
Eldredge used this idea of new birth and the bond of child with mother to then connect to something philosopher Dallas Willard shared with him. Willard said salvation in Jesus Christ created a new attachment between us and God. When we are saved, we are essential “born again” and are a new creation. Salvation is “the soul’s loving bond to our loving God.”
Eldredge provided prayers at the end of each chapter. The prayers were everything – well-written, beautifully expressed, and true to the skills Eldredge taught in each chapter. All of the prayers were at the very end as well as the footnotes. Thank you to Netgalley.com and Thomas Nelson for the draft e-copy of Eldredge’s Resilient: Restoring your soul in these turbulent times.”

Eldredge says that we, collectively and individually, are in denial. Wearied by the incredible trauma of a global pandemic and its effect on our daily lives for months, we are denying the depth of that trauma and comforting ourselves that “things are getting back to normal.” But does a victim of abuse instantly get better when the abuse stops? No, there is lingering damage that has to be dealt with. Eldredge says this book is his effort to get us to face the ongoing effects of what we’ve been through and deal with them in a biblical way...but it veers a lot in the process.

I certainly went into the book skeptical of his thesis. Sure, I was tired of all the COVID intrusions, but I didn’t see myself as having been through some trauma like a person struggling with PTSD. But when faced with one of his challenging questions of self-analysis, I had to admit that my own reserves had largely been used up.
His concern is that we will be chasing things that try to cheer us up, rather than turning to the only lasting source of life—God’s river of life. And he doesn’t keep it theoretical, he offers practical steps we can take to do that. He helps us to see—and live—the truth that everything that is happening today will become yesterday’s story, and only one will continue through human history.

I very much appreciate his thoughts on how we have developed a “Comfort Culture” that has made us softer. He did a remarkable job of painting a picture by comparing humans to amphibians—beings capable of living in two different worlds. In our case, the physical and spiritual. I found myself drawn into Eldredge’s descriptions of the negative feelings the world has pushed us toward, and I appreciated his honesty that he and his trusted mentors had been tempted down that same path. But he spoke of (and I have experienced) overcoming that!

I think the book’s strength is in the simple statement he made, “The battle is over your heart.” Who, and what, are we allowing to drive our hearts? The media? No, that’s probably a secondary discussion. The news—wherever it comes from? Or God’s truth?

My enjoyment was derailed when I came to this: “We are in an unnamed Institution. In grainy, flickering images, we are shown Jane, a little black baby, just after her mother had been forced to leave her for what would turn out to be a three-month period.” Eldredge had never pointed out that earlier examples were white, so what reason could there be for him pointing out this baby was black? Is the illustration based on race? Quite the contrary, he is in the midst of something he describes as universal! So why did he feel it necessary to point out this baby’s race? Did he want us to draw the conclusion that the baby’s three months away from her mother was because her mother was in jail? This casual racism affected my respect for Eldredge, and the credibility I gave the whole rest of the book. I was equally disappointed in the editorial team at Thomas Nelson for allowing this to go through uncorrected.
Perhaps this cloud is part of the reason why the rest of this chapter bothered me. Eldredge’s fascination with breastfeeding and mother-love and mother-nourishment and mother-need seemed to border on obsession. I understand the analogy he was trying to make, but chapter 5 didn’t seem to fit with where everything in the book up to that point was going. Chapter 6 didn’t seem to get us back on topic.

I’m glad I persevered, because things started to come back around a bit in chapter 7. But then he goes to some length to build an unorthodox eschatology based on the return of Eden, and our Eden hearts and Eden longings, to try to give us greater hope for the future. Surely the orthodox view of heaven is sufficiently inspiring! He builds on this unorthodoxy with this:
"If you tell a survivor that rescue is coming in three weeks, or even three months, they can hang on. They find new strength. They’ll make it. But if you tell that same survivor the hope for rescue will probably not happen until after they die, they will lose all hope. They are left to hunker down and grasp for whatever little crumbs of life they can find."
Eldredge appears to be saying that we should convince ourselves that the Second Coming will be within our lifetimes so we can gain more (probably false) hope. I was also uncomfortable with his suggestion that we should give our hearts to Eden in this prayer:
"Jesus—catch my Eden Heart. I put my hope in the restoration of Eden when you return. I give my heart to you and your return. You are the only safe place. There is only one Eden. I give my heart to the true and only Eden, which you will restore when you return."

He quotes Hebrews 10:39 "We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved," and goes on to declare: "You are one of the faithful ones, dear reader. If you’ve cared enough to make it this far through this book, I can assure you—you are one of the faithful ones." I rather thought that it was up to God to determine who "the faithful ones" are, and that it would not be measured by patience through Eldredge's book.

Chapter 8 starts as repetition of what he said in the first part of the book. It adds to the feeling that there is the core of a great booklet in the first few chapters, and he artificially glued some odd other parts onto it to try to fill out a book. But he does then try to give practical advice on how we can dig deeper to tap into the strength of God within us. He uses "benevolent detachment" to avoid the mystical baggage of the word "meditation," but that's very much the helpful process he takes us through--including posture suggestions and helpful mantras.

I found it odd that a therapist would claim that our life concerns cause ulcers. We have known for decades that that isn't true. (See https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peptic-ulcer/symptoms-causes/syc-20354223)

I'm afraid chapter 9 was nearly the end for me. Eldredge rips Mathew 25:1-8 out of its context to claim that it is "unnerving and unclear" and build an interpretation of his own invention. If you read the same passage in the full context which starts in Matthew 24 and continues through 25:13, Jesus Himself gives the correct interpretation of the passage--something Eldredge claimed He didn't do. It is important to remember that Eldredge is a therapist, not a Bible teacher.

It might as well have been the end, because he really said nothing new for the rest of the book.

There are really excellent parts in this book, and I suspect that if those were pulled into a coherent book half the size I would be giving it high praise. As it is, I have to encourage readers to go into it with a biblical skepticism to guide them past the times when Eldredge turns from valuable therapeutic content to questionable theological content.