The Art of Resilience

I launched a book into the world this week, and it seems fitting that it would be on a subject that’s currently hitting home in a big way. That isn’t to sound whiny at all. But it does seem that whenever I write about something, I’m given an equal opportunity to test out just how far I can apply the subject matter.

Real life is a perpetual reminder for an author that they have never arrived and will never be so far along the path that they are not vulnerable to any manner of setback. Being human is to never have pat answers for anyone else. It is only to share our experiences and apply empathy for others because of what is part of our story.

It felt trite to promote a book about reslience in a week when family members lost their entire home to a fire. I’ve never experienced anything like their loss. And too often, people expect others to say the Jesus-y things right after a loss:

• “God has a plan for this.”

• “At least…[fill in the blank].

• “When my [brother, sister, parents, friend] had that happen, they …”

There is no end to the unhelpful things to say or the things we expect the ones who experienced a loss to say.

But as I got thinking, I realized I have never experienced anything like the other twenty-three writers who collaborated with me on the book either. And some of them don’t have neat and tidy endings. Some are moving forward day by day amid what has forever changed their lives.

Resilience isn’t about saying, “I’m all better now, and you can be too.” No, the beautiful thing about the art of resilience is that the canvas can look different for each of us. What God is doing in one of us may be in a vastly different medium for someone else. Chalk, mixed media, oil, clay…you name it.

Resilience may be messy, abstract, appreciated, or primitive. We can admire it in all of its stages. And so, I give you The Art of Reslience.

In The Art of Resilience, women of different generations and backgrounds share personal essays about life after hard things—loss, career upheaval, relational heartbreak, unexpected detours, and seasons that reshaped everything they thought they knew.

In these pages, you’ll meet a woman whose thousand-dollar car died on a frozen highway the morning she returned to work after a decade at home—only to discover that surrender can become reinvention. You’ll hear from a young woman whose life changed in a split second after a devastating accident, proving that courage can rise even when everything familiar falls away. And you’ll walk beside one who stepped forward without a safety net, discovering that faith often grows strongest when certainty disappears.

Resilience is not a quick recovery or polished strength, but as something formed slowly—like art shaped over time. Through honest reflection and lived faith, each contributor reveals how endurance, courage, and grace take shape in real life, especially when answers are scarce and the road ahead feels uncertain.

This collection offers thoughtful encouragement for women walking through difficulty. It reminds readers that they are not alone— and that even in unfinished seasons, growth deepens, faith strengthens, and meaning takes shape.

Contributors include: Alisa O’Donnell, Almira Robinson, Andrea Polnaszek, Andrea Gribble, Brooke Hackman, Charlaine Martin, Crystal Stallman, Diana Leagh Matthews, Heather Vogler, Joni Topper, Kathy Carlton Willis, Kay Nell Miller, Kelly Wilson Mize, Lisa Crowe, Lisa-Anne Wooldridge, Lori Vober, Martha Knight, Maureen Miller, Dr. Mel Tavares, Michelle Rayburn, Pam Whitley Taylor, Paula Hemingway, Sue Ferguson, Tasha Schuh

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As time goes on, I’ll be sharing links to stories and some guests posts from the authors named above. We hope you find comfort from our art.

*Affiliate links to the book above mean I receive a small portion of the sale of each book at no additional cost to you.