THURSDAY THOUGHTS - Lifting the Lives of Those Around Us

Guest Post:

About a month ago a woman and two men came to my desk at the bank to have a document notarized. The woman immediately caught my eye. She was of a large build with beautiful olive colored skin and short black hair which was cut immaculately. She was well dressed and groomed, had very few wrinkles and I guessed her age to be in her early or mid seventies. She had health issues as evidenced by the oxygen tube in her nose, but despite this fact, her aura exuded peace and inner strength. She had no idea the impression she had made on me or how closely I was watching her.

 The young man to her right kept his distance. He was average build with dread locks longer than my shoulder length hair. He downplayed my efforts to draw him in to the conversation. The man to her left was in his mid to late thirties. He also said very little. It was obvious the communication between these three was strained at best. The purpose of their trip to the bank was to transfer custody of the young boy over to the older woman. It impressed me that this woman, somewhat weakened by her outward health issues, had inner strength which carried her forward to assume custody of this troubled young man. I was also amazed at the fact that these two men seemed to be healthy and strong, yet neither of them could look me in the eye.

Evelyn Underhill once wrote, “After all, it is those who have a deep and real inner life, who are best able to deal with the irritating details of the outer life.”

 This experience caused me to think about people who I consider to have deep inner strength. Oddly enough, most of them are not body builders or physically strong. Take for instance the woman we visit each month who will be 100 on her next birthday. Bessie is outwardly fragile, yet her inner strength has kept her true to her values and beliefs for her entire life. I also thought of my friends who have weathered Cancer surgeries and treatments who exhibit incredible inner strength, although their outward strength is greatly challenged as they move forward. It takes inner strength to keep working on marriages every day; to keep encouraging and loving troubled children; to go to work every day and give your best effort when you get there; and to care for our loved ones in their final days.

While musing on these thoughts it occurred to me that outer strength is developed by bench pressing and lifting weights, while inner strength is strengthened by pressing forward with integrity and lifting the lives of those around us.

Kathy Christensen
Survivor
Member, Lifting Hearts