{"id":91946,"date":"2026-03-19T09:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T14:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spiritualsparks.beehiiv.com\/p\/spiritual-sparks-running-on-empty-think-again"},"modified":"2026-03-19T09:57:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T14:57:00","slug":"spiritual-sparks-running-on-empty-think-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/spiritual-sparks-running-on-empty-think-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual Sparks: Running on Empty? Think Again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n    <div class='beehiiv'><style>\n  .bh__table, .bh__table_header, .bh__table_cell { border: 1px solid #C0C0C0; }\n  .bh__table_cell { padding: 5px; background-color: #FFFFFF; }\n  .bh__table_cell p { color: #2D2D2D; font-family: 'Helvetica',Arial,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; }\n  .bh__table_header { padding: 5px; background-color:#F1F1F1; }\n  .bh__table_header p { color: #2A2A2A; font-family:'Trebuchet MS','Lucida Grande',Tahoma,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; }\n<\/style><div class='beehiiv__body'><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><i>Resilience: You&#39;re not as depleted as you feel<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">A young shorebird known as a Bar-tailed Godwit astonished scientists by completing the longest nonstop flight ever recorded by a bird.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Weighing little more than half a pound, the four-month-old bird left Alaska and flew more than 8,400 miles across the Pacific Ocean before landing in Australia eleven days later. It never stopped for food, water, or rest.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Before beginning the journey, the Godwit transformed its body into a flying fuel tank, storing enormous reserves of energy. Guided only by an internal navigation system, it crossed a vast ocean on its very first migration.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Nature sometimes reminds us of a profound truth: living creatures often carry far greater reserves than expected. We are no different. Within us lies the capacity to endure difficulty, adapt to change, and continue forward: a quality we call <b>resilience<\/b>.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u2728<b> 3 Ideas<\/b><br><br><b>1. Resilience comes from within<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Resilience is the strength that enables us to continue when life becomes difficult. Elizabeth Edwards described it as \u201cthe ability to adjust to the new reality we face.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">From a spiritual perspective, <b>resilience is not merely a psychological skill. It draws upon the inner strength within us, a deeper dimension of our being<\/b>.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Even when circumstances shake us, that deeper essence remains intact, allowing us to adapt, recover, and move forward.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>2. Hope strengthens resilience<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">In a remarkable discovery, a violin built by a Jewish prisoner in the Dachau concentration camp was opened for repairs nearly 80 years later. Inside was a hidden note explaining the instrument\u2019s origin. The violin later came to be known as the \u201cViolin of Hope.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">The name captures an important truth. <b>When people hold onto hope, they find the strength to endure circumstances that might otherwise feel unbearable<\/b>.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Hope reminds us that the present moment is not the final chapter. It speaks to the core of the human spirit and gives resilience the courage to keep going.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>3. Resilience grows through our daily choices<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">It\u2019s been said: <i>If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit<\/i>. Perseverance reminds us that <b>resilience is not one long race but many short races<\/b>, each requiring the courage to continue step by step.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">We rarely develop resilience alone. The support of friends, family, and community often provides the encouragement to persevere.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Through these choices, the resilience within us gradually emerges, helping us face life\u2019s challenges with growing resolve and confidence.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u2728<b>2 Quotes<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u201cIf you weaken in a day of adversity, your strength is limited.\u201d <br>\u2014 <i>Proverbs 24:10<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u201cChampions aren\u2019t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.\u201d <br>\u2014 <i>Muhammad Ali<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u2753<b>1 Question<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Where in your life would resilience make the greatest difference right now?<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">A magazine company once installed a computer to send renewal notices to subscribers whose subscriptions had expired. Something malfunctioned, and before the error was discovered a rancher in Colorado received <b>9,374<\/b> lapsed-subscription notices.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Eventually the company received a letter from him containing a check for one year\u2019s renewal and a brief handwritten note: <b>\u201cI give up! Send me the magazine.\u201d<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Persistence eventually won the day. Resilience often begins with the same simple choice: to keep going.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Until next time,<br>Wishing you a week of steady resilience and renewed hope for the journey ahead,<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>Rabbi Ze&#39;ev Smason<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">P.S. When life becomes difficult, what helps you keep moving forward? I\u2019d be pleased if you share your answer.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">P.P.S. If you\u2019re new here, you\u2019re always welcome to subscribe: <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/spiritualsparks.beehiiv.com\/subscribe?utm_source=spiritualsparks.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=spiritual-sparks-running-on-empty-think-again\"  rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">https:\/\/spiritualsparks.beehiiv.com\/subscribe<\/a><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><\/p><\/div><div class='beehiiv__footer'><br class='beehiiv__footer__break'><hr class='beehiiv__footer__line'><a  class=\"beehiiv__footer_link\" style=\"text-align: center;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beehiiv.com\/?utm_campaign=e9401f94-5a57-4867-a35a-99a978c4ff59&utm_medium=post_rss&utm_source=spiritual_sparks\">Powered by beehiiv<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n  ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Resilience: you&#8217;re not as depleted as you feel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14776],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91946"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91946"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91947,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91946\/revisions\/91947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}