Absorb…

The sign of a strong man is not how many push ups he can do. I mean I work out with lots of men who can perform lots of push ups, pull ups, and planks. These men appear to be strong too. Many of them have bodies filled with lean muscle mass. They look good. The real sign of strength, among men and women, however, is not revealed in a push up contest. Real strength comes from within, from a stong sense of self, an awareness of other selves, and the ability to pushed without pushing back. Think Gandhi and Mother Teresa kinda strength.

Today, in a good, early morning practice with a strong man getting stronger, we focused on him building this kinda strength. We’re gonna measure his growth with how many pushes he can absorb from those closest to his heart. When he’s attacked, he’s going to work on a different response than the well worn counter attack. Weak.

Instead, he’s going to absorb.

Absorb, my friend. Absorb. Real strength is shown when your justice thread is tweaked. You know it. You’re sideways and it’s not right. You deserve better. It’s not fair. He/she is way out of line and completely nuts. You stand, anyway. You stand with, not stand down. You stand beside, not stand over. You stand leaning toward, not with arms crossed. You see, real strength comes when we absorb. God, help us all. Good.