Strength
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Photo by CB
I recently accepted the challenge of getting into shape with one of my dearest friends. We were about a week into a new workout program when this picture was taken. On this particular day I wasn’t feeling overly strong or fit, but as I dove into the cable face pull exercise, my friend insisted that she take a picture. Now, I’m not claiming to be a body builder or anything of the sort, but when I looked at the image of myself, the first word that came to mind was strength. Now as a chiropractor, the nerdy party of my brain was assessing the tone and definition of the extensor muscles in my back. With the amount of sitting and looking at screens that we do as a society, these muscles tend to become weakened, so I was pleased to see that those muscles were at least firing! (Side note: rowing exercises are really good for strengthening these extensor muscles!)
After looking past the superficial topic of muscle tone, I really started to ask myself, what is strength? What defines something or someone as strong? Any time a word is placed on my heart I like to do two things. One, I look up the Webster definition and two, I look to see what the Bible has to say about it. After scanning through the Webster definitions online, I found that strength has A LOT of applications. It can be physical, it can be emotional, it can be a level of potency, it can be a characteristic, it can be a number of people required for a task, and the list goes on. I also found that the word strength has numerous applications in the Bible and is used well over 200 times!
So let me ask you, what moments or decisions exemplified strength for you this year? For me, in 2017, strength looked like a lot of pressing into the discomfort of making difficult decisions, asking (what felt like) stupid questions, having uncomfortable conversations, trying new things, facing fears and remaining steady when everything about my circumstances felt unsteady. As I reflected back through all of these experiences, there was one common factor… that strength didn’t come from me.
Craig Roeschel, talks about how, often, when we are feeling our strongest, it is tempting to have a sense that we are self-made, self-sufficient and don’t need or can’t ask for help. The truth is, that when we embrace our weaknesses and let a sense of humility consume us, we are connected to a strength exceedingly beyond our own. God tells us ““My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is being perfected and shows itself most effectively in your weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me… for when I am weak then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 9-10, AMP).
Over the past year, one thing I have become absolutely grounded in is this: “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25 AMP). Knowing that even in God’s most foolish moments, he is wiser than the wisest human and that even in His weakest moments He is stronger than the strongest man, we can’t lose with Him by our sides… talk about STRENGTH!
Each time I press into a weakness or fear, God delivers on a level far beyond anything I could ever imagine. What would you attempt or face if you knew that it wasn’t dependent on your own strength and you would come out of it better off? If it feels uncomfortable or impossible, that’s even better, because that’s where God gets to show off and get the glory.
My hope for you is that 2018 is full of crazy-tough workouts, runs and bike rides that exceed any distance you’ve ever completed, dance classes you’ve never taken, artwork you’ve never attempted, trips to new destinations, recipes you’ve never prepared, foods you’ve never tasted, conversations with strangers, books that challenge your mindset, and simply pressing into the discomfort of your weaknesses. In these moments, God will always show up and it will always bring blessing. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6, AMP).