3.11.2011

Desiderata...Strength of Spirit

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Do you ever notice that when you get tired, you start to believe all sorts of horrible things about yourself, the world, and your place in it?  I know I am super guilty of that - and once the negativity starts, it is so hard to get through it and back to the positive stuff. 

The key is to not let that stuff get to you in the first place.  Easy to say, I know.  Hard to implement?  You bet!  There is nothing harder than changing the core of yourself, and the core of me tends to freak out at the littlest possible thing.  I don't come by it through any means I know of - my mom is level-headed and not prone to freak outs at all!  I don't remember my dad freaking out ever...about anything.  So, apparently it's just me and my own brand of craziness.  But, I'm jumping right to the end of the stanza and skipping the first part.  I think they go hand-in-hand.

For me, nurturing strength of spirit is all about one thing: my relationship with God.  The more time I spend reading and studying the Bible, the more I surround myself with people that are encouraging, passionate, and Godly, the more I am ready for the world to do what it does best - crash and change.  My faith-family has supported me through countless challenges, big and small.  My youth group was there when my dad died.  My co-workers were there when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.  My friends supported me through a hard breakup and countless minor dramas.  They are the strength when I don't have any left.  And, their faith helps my faith to grow. 

You can count on one thing as you go through life - it will not turn out like you planned.  No matter how much you want things to happen your way, on your timetable, through your means, it won't happen that way.  So, build up your strength so you can make it through the trials with your faith still strong. I am not good at this.  I spend too much time doing everything but just focusing on the things that I know will make me a stronger person.  I need to spend as much time in the Word as I worrying about things I have no control over - it would change my life.  I know it, but I don't do it.  Why?

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