Adversity brings out the best in many. One of the privileges of counselling clients is that I regularly have the honor of watching men and women triumph over challenges:
- refusing to let a marriage that is on life support die. A spouse digs deep and breathes deep and with hesitation and even a healthy dose of skepticism–reaches out and offers the proverbial olive branch
- a woman faces the nightmares that her body remembers, and faces the terror down–and for the first time, it begins to dissipate
- a man dares to look at himself candidly for the first time, looking past the bravado and the anger, daring to see the tender part of him that has been wounded and longs to be cared for tenderly
It is totally delightful to watch a person be terrified, quite doubting their ability to handle “going there”…but with support, encouragement, and carefully watching one’s footing on the treacherous path…the person ventures forward. Totally awesomely cool–when they look and see THEY DID IT!
And they are stunned by their own strength. And they are powerful. And it changes them. Forever. In good ways.
I like Whitney’s way of putting it…and she doesn’t sing the song lightly or naively. She knows the stuff she talks about:
I Didn’t Know My Own Strength
Lost touch with my soul
I had no where to turn
I had no where to go
Lost sight of my dream,
Thought it would be the end of me
I thought I’d never make it through
I had no hope to hold on to,
I thought I would break
I didn’t know my own strength
And I crashed down, and I tumbled
But I did not crumble
I got through all the pain
I didn’t know my own strength
Survived my darkest hour
My faith kept me alive
I picked myself back up
Hold my head up high
I was not built to break
I didn’t know my own strength
Found hope in my heart,
I found the light to life
My way out the dark
Found all that I need
Here inside of me
I thought I’d never find my way
I thought I’d never lift that weight
I thought I would break
I didn’t know my own strength
And I crashed down, and I tumbled
But I did not crumble
I got through all the pain
I didn’t know my own strength
Survived my darkest hour
My faith kept me alive
I picked myself back up
Hold my head up high
I was not built to break
I didn’t know my own strength
There were so many times I
Wondered how I’d get through the night I
Thought took all I could take
I didn’t know my own strength
And I crashed down, and I tumbled
But I did not crumble
I got through all the pain
I didn’t know my own strength
Survived my darkest hour
My faith kept me alive
I picked myself back up
Hold my head up high
I was not built to break
I didn’t know my own strength
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