Last week I wrote about My Strength vs. GOD’s Strength. This week, I want to delve a bit deeper into the concept of inner strength. Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott wrote a wonderful book on this subject, and in their book, they discuss three important techniques to truly tap into one’s GOD-given inner strength. Below is a summary of their teaching.
"How content are you with your life? Do ever feel like you’re waiting on life – real life – to begin? Do you ever feel like the stress and strain of your daily routine, the pressures and fatigue of it, are keeping you stuck while you continue to hold out hope for the adventure of your life to start – someday? Down deep you know there is more to this life than merely making it. You know your future holds promise. And yet the uncertainty and powerlessness you sometimes feel causes you to question your ability to rise above your current circumstances. It keeps you from doing what you need to do. Here’s the good news: you’re stronger than you think. Here are the internal wells where your strength is most likely to reside. But be forewarned. They are found in counter-intuitive places.
Think simply – there’s strength in clearing your head. Few experts would dispute the fact that the beginning of renewed strength starts with how you think. Our mind is where we analyze, figure-out and plan. It’s where we hold our knowledge and understanding. We’ve all heard about the undeniable power of our attitudes. But I propose a new way of drawing strength from your mind. It has to do with simplicity. It has to do with finding strength by clearing your head to discover what should have been obvious all along. Too often, we make life more complicated than it needs to be and we get bogged down as a result. It makes us sluggish and exhausted. It’s time to travel light and think more simply, and in turn, find a fresh resolve and a new tenacity.
GOD wants to help you clear the clutter in your mind to think more simply. The Bible says, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2.2) Simplify your mind and begin with the purest knowledge that GOD loves you and saves you through the love of His Son, Jesus.
Feel vulnerable – there’s strength in owning your weakness. While the cognitive part of you may be a starting place for strength, your heart holds a wealth of power when you know where to tap it. And that, paradoxically, begins by finding the strength that comes through owning your weakness. Of course, I realize this goes against common knowledge. It runs against the grain of anyone who is trying to appear powerful. But that’s the point. I’m talking about authentic strength that comes from the inside out. It’s not about building a strong façade. And that’s why vulnerability is instrumental in finding the emotional power in your heart. Vulnerability begets vulnerability. It builds connection and comradely.
Jesus made Himself vulnerable by accepting death and painful separation from GOD so we would not have to. This vulnerability, rooted in His incredible humility, gave Him the power to meet us where we are, even in the face of our own weaknesses. The Bible says, “Who, being in very nature GOD, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (Philippians 2.6-7)
Be emptied – there’s strength in surrender. The ultimate source of strength resides deep in your soul. The secret is to empty yourself of your striving for strength. It may sound incongruent, maybe even absurd, but this deeply spiritual surrender, when done properly, is the only means to finding the abiding strength your soul desires. And it’s in your soul that you will discover a new boldness that will likely surprise you. It is in your soul that your faith, no matter how feeble, can conjure up courage. It is in your soul that you will discover a power greater than you ever imagined.
The Bible tells us that GOD “emptied” His love out into us so that, we can benefit from His strength and use that strength to benefit others. “...God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5.5b) This means that the strength we have comes from GOD and is given so that we can be strength, not just for ourselves, but also for others.
Too often, we bide our time with the routine of a life that we hope will one day take us across the chasm. Our days become stacked upon other days. And as time moves forward, we think about the great abyss in our quieter moments. We wonder if we should take the leap soon. But the busyness of our days pulls us back from the edge and we perpetually postpone it. Why? Because we are afraid we do not have the strength to make it. Don’t let that happen. You’re stronger than you think.”
In Christ, we do have strength! Strength is not just for ourselves, but also for the sake of others. Use that strength to keep going, even when times are tough. You can be the change you want to see in the world. (Gandhi)
Parrott, Les and Leslie. You're Stronger Than You Think: The Power to Do What You Feel You Can't. Tyndale House Publishers, August 2012.
Based on article posted on FoxNews.com, published September 9, 2012.
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