Strong part 4
Its easy to be strong when there's no adversity. But you've probably heard that old saying, "Christians are like teabags, you never know what they're made of until you put them in hot water." That's when what's inside really comes out. That's when you have to put your money where your mouth is. That's when the rubber meets the road. And, like I've been saying, strength is not about forcing your way into your own way. Love doesn't demand its (HIS) own way. But strength IS about standing on the Rock and saying, "I will not be shaken." Look at Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." And add that to Matthew 5:39, "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." Because that's one of the hardest things to do--to get attacked and not retaliate. To not resist evil. To not fight back. To let people be who they are--whether its good, bad, or ugly--and still be who YOU are. To stand strong. To stand tall. To weather the storm. To endure. That takes strength. But through Christ--through LOVE--we can do all things. Endure all things. Love all things (or at least all people). Love is all-powerful. Through that "laying your life down for your friends" love we can do all things. Through that "giving everything you have and everything you are" love we can do all things. I think what I'm trying to say is that love isn't about getting your own way. Love is about being ok when you don't. If you're always all about getting your own way... first of all, that's selfish. Which is the opposite of being selfless. And second of all, controlling people and manipulating people is about the farthest thing away from love that I can think of. If there's one thing I've really figured out from my job working with special needs kids, its that you can't make people do things. People are gonna do what they're gonna do. My uncle is fond of saying, "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." That's why turning the cheek is so important--so strong. Because if someone hits you, and you don't hit back... you win. I think it was Mark Twain who said, "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience." Don't go down to their level. That's not where you belong. Rise above it. Be the bigger person. Take the high road. There's adversity. That's part and parcel with life. Things don't go the way you expect them to. They don't always go the way you want them to. And that's ok. Because its not all about you. Another old phrase, "If you can't change it, change your attitude about it." The strongest people aren't the ones who run around trying to crush people and circumstances into the way they think they ought to be. The strongest people are the ones who make the best of things. Who endure. Who don't fight back. The strongest people are the ones who let love lead the way. Who love regardless of whatever else is going on. Love will carry you through whatever you have to go through. And tomorrow, to end this Rant series, I think I'm going be, one more time, talking about how much stronger we are... together.