Day 22 - STRENGTH

The theme for the photo today is "strength". Over the past few days I have encountered many different types of strength. More sprecifically I have had to be strong emotionally, physically, and spiritually. In this post I will explain why it is important to be all three.

Physically strong:

Over the years I have trained countless hours in many styles of dance. This hobby quickly turned into a lifestyle which lead to training to win. Over the past couple years I have been blessed to be a part of an amazing dance team at NAU that is growing stronger and stronger every year. This past weekend we competed for a national title in jazz and hip hop. I will say that after these past few years on this team I am in the best physcial shape of my life. I have been pushed to limits that I never knew could be reached and motivated to push even harder so that my team could rely on me. It is entirely true that you are as strong as your weakest link. For me, it is important to be physically strong so that the goals we have strived for as a team could be accomplished (and they were this past weekend). More importantly, I want to bring up the fact that many of us sell ourselves short. Our bodies can take way more than we think that they can, and that is a mystery only God can explain. In order to understand the ability that God has given each of us we need to be able to push ourselves to reach goals and surpass our perceived limits. This is not a test of God's abilty, but an appreciation for what he gave us.

Emotionally strong:

These past weeks have brought forth quite a few instances forcing me to be emotionally strong. Death is not an easy thing to understand. It is hard to believe that someone could just be gone from the world in an instant, without a moments notice. Over the past few weeks death has been an unfortunate constant theme. The loss of two alumni from Rancho Bernardo High School and a dear friend's grandfather has forced me to be emotionally strong. These losses are never easy, and many times not expected. What pains me the most is the pain that the families and close friends must endure. After thinking about these families and praying for them I realized that what they need is the emotionally strong. They are in times of pain and loss and need to be surrounded by people that will pick them up, dust them off, and lead them in a direction of recovery. The loss of a loved one is never going to be easy, but with a support system of individuals that can be emotionally strong, it is much easier to come to terms with what has happened. Sometimes it is hard to understand why God does the things he does, but he obviously needed those people, young and old, to be with him in heaven. Sometimes maybe the best explanation we can give is that God needed that person in order to bring people together. I know that in my experience, loss has brought people together in ways that I could never imagine.

Spiritually strong:

Unfortunately, in this day and age, it is not easy to be religious. Religion is something that is criticized and questioned and sometimes even frowned upon. This makes it hard to be spiritually strong for some. I am here to tell you to make that the reason to be stronger spiritually. Prove to those people that look down on religion that it is something worth while. I have been in experiences where people have made opinions about me because of my religion and it was heartbreaking. In those instances I found myself wanting to immerse myself even deeper into my faith. A sort of "I'll show you" kind of moment, but that's just the kind of stubborn individual that I am. On the other hand, I have had people be inspired by my pride in my religion and motivated to learn and grow in their own faith. That is why we need more people to be proud of their religion. When an individual sees someone else sharing their religion with others they become more inclined to share their faith. We always talk about how important it is to introduce others to the faith, but if you are not confident and strong in your spirituality then how do you expect to show others the beauty of the faith? Lent is the perfect time to grow and learn and really become as strong as you can every day.

I want to take this moment today to say a special prayer for the Davey family. Tyler was a member of my youth group for years and whenever I look back on those weekly meetings I smile because that group was the best group I could have asked for. We laughed and talked and shared the faith with one another in a way that made me look forward to coming to youth group. We may not have all been the closest group of friends or seen each other outside of church, but we were a group that supported each other in the faith and that means the world. Tyler was a very important part of that group and I wish we all could have had one more group meeting before he left this earth. He was an amazing guy and I know I can speak for the group and both of our group leaders when I say that we will all truly miss him. To the Davey family, Telford family, and the Johnson family I just want to say to stay strong and we will all be strong around you.

#strength