One weekend this spring Bruce's sister, who lives in Omaha, visited us. Her hobby is photography, and one of her favorite subjects is birds. We decided to take her to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha and invited our eight year old grandson Peter to go with us. When we picked him up for the day's excursion, he was all prepared. In his backpack he had his binoculars, a notebook, pen, and a guidebook about raptors, which I bought him a couple years ago when we went to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center. He had decided, by the way, all on his own what he wanted to bring with him.
As we drove to the center, which is located on the Mississippi River a couple hours away, Peter shared some facts about raptors. Facts such as their size and how long they typically live and what they eat and how their numbers have greatly increased in North America in recent years. He also told us that his favorite species of eagle is the golden eagle, and he hoped to see one at the center. He wondered if there are species other than the golden and the bald in North America, and we encouraged him to ask one of the center's volunteers that question. He did just that and we learned no, there are only two in our part of the world, but there are about 60 species throughout the whole world. None of us knew that, nor did any of us even know to ask that question.
At one point Papa asked Peter a question about eagles. I'm sorry I don't remember the question, but that's not really important anyway.
I could hear Peter sigh. A long, deep sigh, and then he said very clearly, very deliberately, "Papa, raptors are NOT my strength."
Of course, we then asked him to name his strength for us and without hesitation he said, "Wolves." That's true, for he knows nearly all there is to know about wolves.
I love this story and have told it many times since, for while it reveals a great deal about Peter, it is also a story that begs for a deep inner response from the listener. This is a spiritual story.
Do you know what is not your strength and may even be a weakness? Are you willing to admit that? And what are you doing about a part of yourself that is not your strength? Are you like Peter studying a guidebook and asking questions, hoping to learn more and add to what you already know?
Do you know your strength and are you willing to name that or are you carrying around false modesty in your backpack? What good is your strength doing hidden away?
What experiences in your life have helped you develop your strength? When have you been called upon to use your strength, to live your strength? In what ways have you deliberately chosen to exercise your strength?
And here's another question to consider: Has there ever been a time when your strength has been a detriment? Remember there is a shadow side to everything. Peter was more than willing to share his knowledge with us, but he did so without making us feel stupid for not knowing what he knew, nor was he showing off. His curiosity and interest led him to learn about raptors and wolves. His strength operates in the light.
Part of becoming the person we were created to be is being able to identify our strengths and our weaknesses and to understand how they function and guide the way we live in the world.
An Invitation
What are your strengths? What are you weaknesses? I would love to know.
Meet three Warrior Women!
After ten days canoeing in the Boundary Waters for ten days, these middle school aged young women seemed capable and ready for almost anything. They recognized strength they didn't know they had. They revealed and relished their own individual strengths, but they also discovered how much stronger they were when they worked together as a team.
Real strength lies in knowing when to hang on and lift together, when to ask for help and support, and when to trust others--both human and the Divine.
I stood in awe as these women, in perfect rhythm with each other, tipped, swung and raised this 75 pound wood and canvas canoe above their shoulders .
They delighted in showing us, their proud parents and grandparents, their skill and strength, and we cheered their success.
Each one of these women is capable of standing alone, of honoring and using her own strength, but sometimes help is needed.
In each of our lives there are times when we need others to stand compassionately with us, when we need the comfort and strength of others to portage from one place to another. When we draw upon the freely given strength of others, we build our own inner stamina to bear the emotional or physical weight of what we are experiencing.
Integrating a spiritual practice in your life builds your inner strength, a strength you can draw on when challenged physically, emotionally, or mentally. At the same time an intentional and regular spiritual practice can lead to discernment and clarity about times when the strength of others is needed.
An Invitation
Who is waiting to give you added strength? Are you willing to reach out for it, to respond to it? At the same time, is there someone who is in need of your strength right now? I would love to know.
Last week we traveled with our daughter to pick up our granddaughter Maren from camp in northern Minnesota. Maren, along with two other twelve year old girls and their two counselors, both young women starting their sophomore year of college, had been canoeing in the Boundary Waters for ten days.
We were quite certain she would love the experience, but still, we were relieved to learn that was the case. In fact, she thrived, and while she was eager to see her family, she joyfully told us she could have stayed on trail longer and can hardly wait till next summer when the trip will be longer, about sixteen days.
Part of the reunion was a demonstration with one of the canoes they used, a wood and canvas canoe weighing about 75 pounds. I was in awe of Maren's strength as she balanced that canoe on her shoulders. She stood firmly, her two feet on the ground and moved with confidence and assurance. She knows her strength.
She is a warrior woman, empowered, determined, and yes, strong.
Inner Strength
Sometimes what is required is outer strength, the kind of strength needed to portage six times in one day, as Maren and her fellow campers proudly described. It is our inner spiritual strength, however, that allows us to access the physical strength to do what needs to be done. Julia Cameron says, "As a spirit I am healthy…My spiritual energies fund my physical self with support and sustenance."
And how does one develop that inner spiritual strength? That's where an ongoing spiritual practice enters the picture. Not only is a spiritual practice the means for opening to the presence of the God in your life, but a spiritual practice strengthens you for the journey, the unknown and unexpected.
Now is the time to make room for strength building in your life.
A Suggested Spiritual Practice: Standing Meditation
If possible, practice Standing Meditation outside, standing on the earth. Stand with your two feet shoulder width apart, your knees slightly bent, and your arms and hands loosely at your sides. Close your eyes lightly, not tightly. Breathe evenly, finding your own rhythm.
Feel the energy of the earth reach to the bottom of your feet and move up your legs and through your torso and all the way to the top of your head. Feel your own energy reach into the earth. Breathe steadily and evenly, noticing how your body grows in strength. In possibility. In vitality.
Stand this way first for five minutes, if you are able, and with time build to fifteen minutes. Do this either inside or outside.
As you practice Standing Meditation, become open to your own inner warrior. You may feel more grounded and discover your own strength. May you feel more able to hoist a heavy and unwieldy canoe on your shoulders and face the oncoming challenges with strength.
An Invitation
In what ways are you strong and what does being strong mean to you? How have you built your strength? I would love to know.
Stay Tuned: I will continue to explore the gift of strength in my post on Thursday, August 20.
