“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” That phrase from the 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche has created a frenzy among people on social media who want to have empathy for those who are hurting. Sometimes life’s disasters do not make us stronger, at least not in the beginning. For those of us who are older and have lived through successes and failures in life, we know that some of our losses have created strength somewhere in our life. If it hasn’t, then we must look on how to be strong in our current circumstance. Maybe, just maybe, we can become strong with our heartaches.
Taking a page from the college basketball tournament, I have realized that the teams that win are the ones that have something beyond talent. They have tenacity. They have unity, and they have a desire to win. Some teams may think they have a desire to win, but the teams that do win, dig down deep into their souls and create success for every player on their team. It’s not easy to be strong during the tough times. If it were, everyone would be strong, and everyone would win.
Since only the few are strong, we can fall into the trap that we do not need strength to walk in this life. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9, NIV) God is commanding Joshua, who must lead the Israelites into the promised land, to be both strong and courageous. Having wandered in the wilderness and leading people who were being disobedient, Joshua had lived through a harrowing ordeal. God is reminding him that with his past, he can be strong because God is with him in his present and then into the future.
Being strong amid a crisis is difficult. Like the college basketball teams, you must rely on someone other than yourself. First, we must rely on God. Most people want God to take the crisis away. It is not what God does. God refuses to control us like robots. Since he doesn’t control us, he also doesn’t control those who may cause chaos for us, in whatever form that may be. He does, however, provide a way for us to move forward. We choose to move forward or to stay stuck in our circumstance.
Next, being strong requires us to reflect on our lives. We must find tenacity. If we want to be strong, we must look sincerely into ourselves and discover what is holding us back. It could be the wrong people informing us. It could be a wrong job or a wrong relationship. Whatever it is that is making us weak, we must create a way for it to become a strength or eliminate it from our lives. Strength is not just about being physical. We can be strong mentally, emotionally, and spiritually if we are weak physically.
Third, we must find a way to connect with others. As we connect with others, we must connect with those who speak truth into our lives but speak truth with love. If they just want to say something that proves they are right, then they are not speaking the truth but their own truth, which may or may not be the truth. It has taken me years to listen to the right voices. There are days when the wrong voices still inform me, and I must redirect my actions. The right people who tell you the truth in love and will not be loud. They will speak once. They speak without arrogance. Once we listen with willing ears, we hear the truth.
So, maybe that philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, from the 19th century gave us words of wisdom. I’m sure that he endured trials that involved physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual pain. The world was not as developed then as it is now. Then again, maybe our well-developed world has created a mess that is making us weaker. Maybe it is not our circumstances that make us weak or strong; maybe it’s our attitude. Like the college basketball teams that will stand in the end, let us find a way to be strong in the times of crisis.
No comments:
Post a Comment