You do not need to sacrifice your gentleness in order to be strong.
True strength is not rigid or forceful.
It is flexible and adaptable.
Under enough pressure, that which is rigid breaks.
That which is overly forceful is resisted in kind.
True strength bends without breaking, is persistent without being forceful, and adjusts as needs require.
Do not sacrifice your gentleness in order to be strong because there is strength in gentleness there is gentleness in strength.
Do not underestimate your resourcefulness.
You are capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for.
You cannot imagine the depths of your strength and resilience until you have been tested.
Until you have been pushed to your limits, you do not know what your limits are.
Explore your edges.
Seek out experiences that challenge you, that push you past your perceived limitations, and that force you to grow.
You will fail.
This is part of the process.
You cannot truly know yourself until you have known failure and you cannot truly grow until you have grown past it.
Stress is not an inherently bad thing.
In fact, stress is necessary for you to grow.
In order to become smarter, stronger, and faster, your mind and body must be put through and recover from stress.
Avoiding stress altogether, therefore, is a mistake.
The right kind of stress is your friend and your ally.
Stress without purpose, however, is a problem.
Stress for stress’s sake is not helpful to you.
It wears you down and uses up the physical and mental resources you need for other things.
While unwanted stress cannot be avoided altogether, you should do your best to limit its impact on your life.
Interestingly, the best way to make your mind and body more resilient against unavoidable, unwanted stress that breaks you down is through regular and deliberate exposure to and recovery from the kinds of stress that builds you up.
Instead of avoiding stress, then, pursue it, but pursue the right kind of stress so that you will be able to handle unwanted stress when it inevitably comes your way.
Do not underestimate your resilience, but do not overestimate it either.
You are capable of surviving and overcoming much more difficulty and hardship than you can even imagine.
You have the strength and ability to turn adversity even tragedy, into fuel for growth.
However, there is only so much burden one person can or should bear before needing help.
You are not alone and, no matter how it may feel at your absolute lowest, most desperate, and beaten down, there is hope and there is help.
You are not meant to go through life’s difficulties on your own. None of us are. We all need help. We need each other.
Knowing and accepting this fact is not weakness. We are more resilient together than we could ever be alone.
Abuse is not meant to be tolerated.
There are situations or circumstances, however, wherein our very survival may depend upon our ability to tolerate the otherwise intolerable.
If we can do this and it does not break us in the process, we will be stronger, wiser, and hopefully more compassionate for the experience.
And yet, abuse is not meant to be tolerated.
Meditations on God 