What does true strength look like?
Maybe you picture veins bulging, a thousand-pound deadlift, a stadium roaring like you see here with Thor Björnsson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHI7COyl6WA&t=74s.
While it’s a breathtaking sight to see someone push the limits of their God-given body, what if there’s something more to strength? What if the culture’s measuring tape (size, aggression, dominance) is an inadequate yardstick? The bible paints a picture of strength that is quieter, harder, and far more subversive:
- Strength is restraining your tongue.
- Strength is praying for God to grant repentance to your enemy.
- Strength is fleeing temptation when you could indulge privately.
- Strength is calmly enduring slander, mockery, and insults without revenge.
- Strength is turning the other cheek when vindication screams.
- Strength is radical, hidden generosity, giving when no one can praise you for it.
- Strength is serving the vulnerable and the oppressed when it costs you convenience or reputation.
- Strength is repenting publicly instead of hiding sin to save face.
- Strength is extending grace to the undeserving and kindness to those who offend you.
- Strength is entrusting your life and outcomes to a Father who sees all.
Consider these biblical examples:
- Strength looks like David courageously calling out the uncircumcised Philistine for disrespecting the Lord of lords.
- Strength looks like Joseph, fleeing Mrs.Potiphar rather than betraying His God.
- Strength looks like Stephen being pummeled with stones and crying out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”.
- Strength looks like Paul boasting in his weakness so that Christ might be strong in him.
- Strength looks like Jesus, who could have summoned twelve legions of angels in an instant, yet chose the path of spit, slander, and scourging, for the sake of the world.
So instead of that 1000+ deadlift, maybe greater strength looks more like this: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OZg31d6XRFY.
Train your eyes to see as the Lord sees.