No crash and burn here

Why do some flourish in times of trial, while others just barely eek by and often have a harder time due to the increased pressure? If faith plays a part in "holding up" and "conquering", then what part does it play? The condition of their spirits matters - when the spirit is 'healthy', it is easier to conquer adversity. A crushed spirit will get us down quicker than anything else!

A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed? (Proverbs 18:14)

The spirit of man animates him - it gives us the connection we need for life itself. There is a connection with the source of all life - God himself. When the spirit is well, the entire man is well - regardless of the circumstances coming our way. Consider the three parts of man - body, soul, and spirit. The body is made up of all we consider as being in contact with the environment around us - it is what we use to experience the sensations of sight, touch, sound, etc. We interact with our environment in and through our body. 

The soul is made up of our mind, will, emotions - the things which help us to interact with reason, rational thought, choice, and responsiveness. It is the place of our remembrances - where we lay up memories and recall them from time to time. The spirit actually "plays off of" the other two parts of our being. We take in things by various interactions and form some kind of thought about the event. If you have ever sat in the midst of the forest, listening to the sounds of the wind in the trees, observing the scurrying critters, and taking in the majesty of it all, you might have been elevated to a place of worship in your spirit. Your 'body' was interacting with your 'spirit'.

Spirit elevates us - it brings us to new heights, taking us to new depths, and helps us to hold on when the climb seems way too hard. The spirit is what helps us stabilize in times of trial and keeps us on course in times of temptation. The spirit is a rudder directing us toward the good things God has for us to experience in life - even if they are buried deep within times of trial! A ship's rudder is small, but it directs the biggest ship with the greatest of ease - simply because it operates to do only one thing - to point or position the ship in the direction the ship is to be headed. 

Our spirit helps to point us in the direction we are to be headed. As we commune with God in spirit, we get direction that our emotions, reason, or rational thought cannot provide. They can suggest certain responses, but our spirit is where we find the assurance of faith and hope - something which keeps us going even when it gets tough. A crushed spirit is something we cannot endure very long - for it robs us of hope, diminishes all steps we might normally take in faith, and steers us in directions we'd normally not travel. This is why it is so important to continually allow our spirit to be renewed - in times of prayer, praise, worship, and thanksgiving. As we commune with God, we renew our spirit. It is raised again into places of hope and faith - re-energized for the journey ahead. Move from periodic renewal to a constant "recharge" of your spirit! You might just avoid the crash and burn of a crushed spirit! Just sayin!