“Oh my gosh, Robin. I couldn’t do what you do. You’re so on top of everything! I wish I could be like you. You’re such a strong person.”
In the past, I’d totally find that flattering.
Hearing that now, I just think, “Shoot. I’m not being vulnerable enough. I’m sending the wrong message.”
Strength isn’t doing everything perfectly.
It’s not being able to accomplish a long list of things each day.
It’s not possessing a certain amount of knowledge.
It’s not doing better than another person or knowing more than others.
To me, real strength is accompanied by other important traits.
It partners with humility to admit shortcomings to oneself and to others.
It joins hands with selflessness to lay down one’s own preferences in exchange for the desire of others.
Real strength rides with perseverance & patience, knowing that each challenge is another step in a life long journey.
It consults with compassion to deliver any measure of power from a place of empathy & understanding.
At the end of the day, to me, strength isn’t strength without love.
Love for oneself, for God, and for others.
My biggest areas of growth stem from misapplication of “strength”.
Powering through my to do’s without rest leaves me angry and irritable.
Holding expectations without consideration of what would bless my family & friends always ends with disappointment and frustration.
It’s those who value the little things...
It’s those who immerse themselves in Jesus...
It’s those who live out of peace & humility...
Those are the strong I aspire to be like!
What about you?
What does strength mean to you??