Romans 8 is perhaps one of the most glorious chapters in the Bible. Paul begins by outlining how we are no longer slaves to sin, fear and death but instead we are children of God. Paul then goes on to unpack the reality of how this works in a broken world, before ending with a climactic declaration of God’s love for us. The whole chapter is well worth a read but here’s a little snippet:
‘I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.‘
Groaning over the climate
Paul is real and acknowledges that there is present suffering, and we groan within that. Creation too is groaning, and we can all see that as we try to process the climate crisis. There is a wealth of responses from both Christians and non-Christians in the wake of the climate crisis but for me it can often feel overwhelming.
The pain caused by rising sea levels, lack of rainfall and the scorching sun seem to be well beyond our power to change. The little we do try to impact seems to have no cumulative effect on the problem. This pain in caring for the earth is evident from the fall. As Genesis 3 recounts, God tells Adam that ‘cursed is the ground because of you, in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life.’
Finding hope over grief
However, in God’s glorious mercy, here is not where the story ends. Pain is real, and we are not called to ignore it but to understand God’s intent through it. Like in childbirth, the best is yet to come. The reality of our broken world lifts our eyes to the coming new creation. The moment when Jesus returns and makes all things right. Colossians 1 tells us that Jesus has ‘reconciled to himself all things, whether things on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross’. The cross is all encompassing and far bigger than we can comprehend. There is absolutely nothing that Jesus’s blood does not cover. In Him, we and all of creation have hope. That hope is a present hope, but even more glorious a future hope.
This is the ultimate reason for resilience. Romans 8 tells us that creation waits with eager longing for the sons of God. That’s us! Creation is longing for us, and for Jesus to work his redemption through us. Incredibly graciously, even though we messed up so spectacularly in the Garden of Eden, God still has a plan for his people in creation. What a privilege and joy!
We find resilience for climate activism by realising we are not the saviour of anything. But God does gloriously use us in his plans. As Romans 8 goes on to highlight that it is not just creation that is groaning but we too are groaning. Even though we have the Spirit, we rightly long for better in this broken world. It’s okay to groan, but, like creation, we groan in hope. We don’t have to create a new ending to our story like one writer on resilience suggests, but we are able to live confidently knowing how the story ends.
How does this relate to (climate) activism?
- Groan in hope
We find resilience for climate activism by realising we are not the saviour of anything. But God does gloriously use us in his plans. As Romans 8 goes on to highlight that it is not just creation that is groaning but we too are groaning. Even though we have the Spirit, we rightly long for better in this broken world. It’s okay to groan, but, like creation, we groan in hope. We don’t have to create a new ending to our story like one writer on resilience suggests, but we are able to live confidently knowing how the story ends.
Through Jesus, we are more than conquerors.
- Foster Gospel resilience
For more information, have a read of another article I wrote that talks about finding resilience in trying times. Whatever you are processing, whether it is the climate crisis, some other issue of injustice or even a personal revelation of the brokenness of this world, Jesus’s blood covers that. One day he will return and make all things new (Revelation 21:5).
Gospel resilience allows us to move on despite the loss or life-altering change because we know that this life is not the end. We have to keep remembering that Jesus has conquered this world. He redeems suffering with His glory, and allows us to grow from that place – even if it feels like a valley.
- Widen your spiritual gaze to see God’s perspective!
God is for us and is working for our eternal good, even when we can’t see the bigger picture. Our Biblical heroes also had to go through this. Joseph did not see the picture of God’s purposes in his slavery, imprisonment and many betrayals until decades later. Only when he was able to declare to his brothers who had sold him into slavery: ‘what you intended for harm, God intended for good’ (Genesis 50:20).
We may not have such an epiphany moment on this side of glory, but we follow the same faithful and unchanging God Joseph did. We can declare confidently over all of our situations that what others intended for harm, God intended for good.
Resilience is the ability to trust God with the things we don’t know and keep living in the light of what we do know about God. It is easy to let pain change our view of God. Resilience is about letting God change our view of pain.
- Declare change in this world
Take a moment now to think of a situation in the world or your life where you have faced injustice or hardship. Declare out loud that ‘in the name of Jesus, even though this situation [insert name] intended to harm me, God will redeem it for good!’.