Inner Strength  What does it mean to have inner strength?  It is very easy to let this be a meaningless description of something we all think we have.  Very few people would not describe themselves as having a strong constitution?  It is easy to confuse a large number of things with inward strength.  People who are stubborn might consider that a strength.  Those who are angry at the world and filled with resentment about treatment from others call their anger strength.  Artificial or unfounded self confidence can be confused with true confidence.  A heart that is hard and uncaring and consumed only with getting its desire is not strength no matter how resolute. It must be true that inward strength has some legitimate qualities that are not defined by a personal definition.  It is beneficial for us all if we can honestly discern between strength and bravado.  

Lets try to approach this from the standpoint of an athlete and see if we can identify what real inner strength is.  If we toss out all the cliché’s of sports and drill those into an athletes head have we made them inwardly strong?  If we tell them you can do anything you set your mind to do, is this true?  If you just do your best, give one hundred percent, you will succeed.  No one can beat you.  You are the best.  There are a hundred more of these sayings of strength.  Saying we are strong, telling ourselves we are strong, having others tell us we are strong, having a strong look on our face, none of these things necessarily make us inwardly strong.  Basing our strength on things that are not even true is clearly a slippery slope.  

We see athletes and singers and important people put a real serious look on their face to demonstrate strength.  We hear people speak profanity and raise their voice and reveal their physical attributes, all in an effort to be beyond damage.  All the things people do to say that because I look strong on the outside then I must be strong on the inside.  Unfortunately a brief look within demonstrates that these actions do not represent strength at all.  Beneath all the show often we find a very fragile inner person who is hanging on the edge of collapse.  We see undisciplined lives desperate for attention and appreciation.  People are often easily broken by every failure and criticism and rejection. 

Inner strength for an athlete or an average person is not necessarily measured by wins and losses, successes and failures.  It is not about how good our game face is.  It is not measured by how strong we can make ourselves appear.  Inner strength is not about how much power or force we exert in the world around us.  It is about working from a base of things that are true and won't fail us.  We must find those things that are true like people who love us and have invested themselves in us.  We must find those qualities that are real that willstill be there even after the competition or the struggle is over. To be strong within is to have our lives built on a solid foundation.  People who are inwardly strong have basic thought processes that are not easily disturbed by external factors.  The source of our significance is based on things that cannot be harmed by external events.  Lives based on emotion and feeling are easily disturbed by every person who can make you angry. If your life is based on impressing other people then your strength is removed by those who would criticize you.  When your strength is based on power and control that you don't actually have then exposure is a constant enemy.  

An athlete has inner strength when the source of his or her strength is present.  Strength comes from a genuine appreciation for the opportunity to compete.  It comes from the undeniable good of spending ourselves in something we enjoy.  It is based on being able to bring forth the best we have from within.  Preparation and a willingness to accept the outcome no matter what it is, knowing that this outcome does not define our worth is closer to inner strength.  Inner strength cannot be removed or affected by the degree of competition because these things are true no matter who opposes us. 

Jesus said that whoever listened to the things He said and built their life upon these teachings was like a person who built their house on a rock foundation.  He said that when all the different events and circumstances of life beat down upon this personal house, it would still stand because it was built on a solid foundation.  He was not saying if you pick my teachings as your personal preference over some other set of teachings then I will like you more.  Jesus was saying that His teachings harmonized with the real world in which we live.  When you base your life on something that Jesus taught then you actually have added a sturdy board to the foundation you are standing upon.  When Jesus said it is better to give than receive, He wasn't just creating something for church people to talk about.  He was saying that you will find that in the grand scheme of life, a greater good will result when you use your life as something to be spent rather than as a suitcase for accumulating stuff. This is truth that reaches all the way down to the created reality of our existence.  It is what is good and sound and healthy no matter who agrees or disagrees with it. 

How can we be stronger from within in our lives today?  First we can eliminate some of the most obvious false foundations.  Anything based on appearance and pretense is not strength.  Anything based on frightening or intimidating other people is not strength.  Any foundation based on convincing other people that I am strong is not real.  Any basis for strength that can be taken away from me by the words and actions of others is not strength. Strength is based on things that cannot be shaken.  It rests on transcendent things.  Let me list a few of the things Jesus taught as items of strength.  He said lay up treasures in heaven.  Your strength comes from the things you find most precious. If a big bank account and an attractive body are what you treasure then these things will have to provide the strength you need to live through all of life.  If you treasure relationships, God first and then all the people in your life, you will be able to draw real strength from them both those that are past and those that remain.  Every good thing in our lives is a gift and the greatest foundation upon which we can stand is gratitude.  Every person who even wants to be inwardly strong does so because they have recognized that there are good things in life that require us to be strong to be able to have them. There are people who we want to be strong for, people we want to encourage, to build them up.  These relationships are gifts from the hand of God and His goodness and kindness and mercy represent a foundation upon which we can stand.  The love of God, the goodness of God, the grace of God, these things are transcendent and can be trusted. 

The greatest source of inner strength is confidence in God.  Careless teaching has done great harm to the purposes and intentions of God.  Many have turned God into a vending machine or simply a place to go to get things you want.  A wrong view of God has caused many to ignore or give up on Him.  But this does not change the truth about Him.  Every thing in life is about God, some things more directly than others.  Gods goodness and genuine interest in my life, and His legitimate desire that true good become my path and destiny can serve as a foundation for every undertaking.  He doesn't simply do what we want but He does do what He wants.  He wants to engage us in His life.