Antifragile Faith: Becoming Stronger in the Pit
Formed, not Forgotten
Change is almost guaranteed, but improvement is not. We are being formed with each passing year. The question is: into what?
Self-development culture often focuses on what we should be doing or accomplishing. Goals matter. Habits are essential. And while these behaviors are important, they’re not the best starting point. But before we decide what to do, we are wiser to decide who we want to become.
And that starts with values.
Core Values vs. Aspirational Values
I divide values into two categories:
Core Values - Who you already are at your best. These values are evident to others in the way you live, even when it costs or inconveniences you.
Aspirational Values - Traits that you are growing into. These are values you want more of in your life, and intentionally cultivate them.
No one is going to hit the mark every day, but I think it’s safe to move an aspirational value into the core values column when you can hit the mark about eighty percent of the time.
At Rock & Meadow, our top three core values are:
Faith
Courage
Resolve
We don’t embody these perfectly. No one does. But these values consistently show up, even under pressure.
That’s why I love my Bible. It is filled with imperfect people who consistently embody certain core values that God uses to accomplish his perfect plan.
One of my favorite examples? Joseph.
Joseph: Cultivating Antifragile Faith
Joseph’s story is found in Genesis (37-50). Let’s start at the beginning.
Part 1: The Favored Son
Joseph was his father’s favorite. As you can imagine, that did not go over well with his brothers. At 17, Joseph:
Received the famous coat of many colors from his father
Shared dreams that implied his brothers would one day bow to him
Earned the resentment of his entire family
The jealousy escalated quickly and his brothers:
Threw him into a pit
Sold him to slave traders
Convinced their father that he was dead
And just like that, Joseph’s life changed forever.
Part 2: The Slave in Egypt
Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an Egyptian official. Despite being betrayed and trafficked, Genesis repeatedly says: “The Lord was with Joseph.”
Joseph worked diligently. He earned trust. He rose to leadership inside someone else’s house.
Then came another betrayal. Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of assault when he refused her advances. Joseph fled temptation, and landed in prison for it.
Part 3: The Prisoner
Joseph spent years in prison. While incarcerated:
He interpreted dreams for fellow prisoners.
He asked one of them (a cupbearer) to remember him when restored to Pharaoh.
The cupbearer forgot him for two full years. (ouch)
Thirteen years passed between the pit and the palace. Thirteen years of betrayal. Hardship. Waiting. And still, “the Lord was with him.”
Part 4: The Palace
At 30 years old, Joseph was summoned to interpret Pharaoh’s troubling dreams. Joseph didn’t claim credit. He said: “I cannot do it… but God will give Pharaoh the answer.” Pharaoh, impressed by his unmatched wisdom, appointed him second-in-command over all Egypt. From slave to ruler.
Joseph developed and implemented a strategy to prepare for a coming seven-year famine, which would eventually bring his own brothers to Egypt, desperate for food.
Part 5: The Reunion (Approximately 20 Years Later)
Two decades after being sold, Joseph stood face-to-face with the brothers who betrayed him. They feared revenge. Instead, Joseph delivered one of the most powerful lines in Scripture: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)
That’s antifragile faith.
Anchoring your Faith
Joseph wasn’t just resilient. He was antifragile. Hardship didn’t merely test him. It refined him.
We love the phrases like “You can get bitter or get better” and “You can go through it or grow through it.” They sound great on paper. But how do you actually live well while you’re in the pit? I think Joseph’s life reveals the answer: You anchor your faith in God’s faithfulness, not the current circumstances.
If Joseph’s faith had been in his father’s protection, immediate saving justice, or even reasonable expectations of human decency, he would have been crushed. Instead, his faith was anchored in God’s sovereignty. Every time he had the chance to take credit, blame others, or spiral into bitterness, he redirected glory to God.
The core value of faith was there, but massive growth happened between the 17-year-old dreamer and the 30-year-old leader. The pit did not destroy him. It developed him.
Faith in the Pit
What if we used every challenge, betrayal, and hardship to check where our faith is? We can still process our hurts and doubts, but we can do it with God, knowing He can handle them. We can also trust that God isn’t wasting anything, even if we don’t understand the plan right now. When we are:
Betrayed
Misunderstood
Forgotten
Overlooked
Stuck in a “why is this happening?” season
What if we asked: Where is my faith anchored right now?
That’s antifragile faith: the more circumstances test you, the more you allow His faithfulness to expand your faith. Joseph didn’t know how his story would end, but he trusted the Author because antifragile faith grows stronger under pressure.
Why Faith Is Foundational
Joseph wasn’t perfect. He was human. But over time, faith became a core value, not just an aspirational one. Faith shapes:
How we endure
How we lead
How we forgive
How we wait
So today, ask yourself: How can I intentionally cultivate deeper faith, not just when life is easy, but when it’s hard? Because change is guaranteed. But growth? Growth requires anchored faith.
Faith Encouragement:
Genesis 50:20 – You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Genesis 39:20-21 – …But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.