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Relationship expert Iyania Vanzant in Oprah's Life class says that many of us wear an imaginary badge that signifies we are the “strong ones.” The only problem is that this title can often wear us down. So, if we are going to help others, we need to keep our “self-care” cups full and have boundaries.
This hit home for me in my life. I am one of those people who “give, give, give” as the strong one and tend to overlook being, as Vanzant calls it, “self-full.” Up until this last year, my cup was ½ empty and my “runneth over” had done ran away.
As spiritually motivated Truth followers, we can easily get caught in the trap of serving and not replenishing! The question is, how, then, can we be the best Christ we can be when our cups are only half full and we're not practicing enough self-care?
The answer is what this Bobby Pen is about today. The answer is the power of strength. Or, in my case, an underdeveloped power of strength to say “NO.” Not having the power of strength can create a pile of “honey-dos” that will run a Soul into the ground. Let's look at the power of strength and how we can use it consciously in our daily lives.
Strength, according to Rev. Dr. Paul Hasselbeck, is the ability to endure, stay the course, last, be persistent, persevere, and be stable. He says our strength can come from two places, an ego perspective or an elevated consciousness.
From an ego perspective, strength is our ability to endure, stay the course, last, be persistent, persevere, and be stable based on our senses, thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
In other words, we can use our strength to stick to a diet or workout program or self-care. Or, we can use strength in the opposite way by being stubborn or resisting what's best for ourselves.
Dr. Hasselbeck also says that our Power of Strength can be either underdeveloped or overdeveloped. If we have an underdeveloped power of strength, then we likely have an inability to stick with a project. If we have an overdeveloped power of strength, we might show up as being stubborn, unduly forceful, or perhaps obsessive-compulsive. The key, according to Hasselbeck, is to know when to employ our ability of Strength…and when not to.
From an elevated consciousness, we use our strength to be persistent in being the best person and/or Christ we can be.
One example of this is when my doctor told me my triglycerides were over 600, and I was nearing a diabetic level. As I left the doctor, I said, ok, that's it, no more sugar as I want to be healthy. When I arrived home, my friendly neighbor who cooks the best sweet treats ever, had a giant tray of homemade chocolates for me. I had a choice and with a lot of strength and
determination, I said, “No, thank you!” And in fact, I told her not to bring me any more sweet treats to make it easier for me in the future.
Another decision I made about 4 weeks ago is to not drink alcohol anymore. And, while there have been times over the past few weeks when I was tempted to have a cocktail or glass of wine, through the power of my strength and desire to show up as the best Christ I can be, I have eliminated this habit from my diet.
Can you think of a situation where you lost your strength to overcome an addiction or perhaps a relationship with a loved one? What about a time when you used your power of strength to overcome a challenge or setback in your life?
So how do we keep our cup full so that we can overcome under or overdeveloped strengths and keep balance in our lives? Here's a few tips:
* Be conscious of your strengths and weaknesses
* Create boundaries
* Be proactive and make plans & goals to keep you on track
* Daily prayer and meditation
By using your power of strength strategically, you can keep your cups full and then share the “runneth” over with the world around you.
Join us this Sunday as we welcome the talents of Michael Schwengel to our church. He will be facilitating a workshop at 10:30 PM on Saturday (the link to register is in this newsletter) and our guest speaker on Sunday. Michael is a coach, artist, and healer on a mission to help others connect to their true nature through healing, reflection, and self-expression.
Blessings, Rev. Bobby
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