Stand Up

Strength.

Now there’s an interesting topic to write about.

We all think we know what strength is. When we hear the word, we are immediately faced with the image of an athletic, god-like being; someone fit and in shape, someone who can lift a ton of weight and use all the machines at the gym like it’s no big deal.

But given a moment to think on, we are drawn instantly to the abstract idea of the word. The single mother, working two jobs to support her two children that were left behind by a husband that “just couldn’t cope”. The cancer survivor who gets up everyday and braces for another day of struggle and pain. The chubby girl, who walks into class with all eyes on her, and sits down uncomfortably in a sea of judging eyes.

But what about the other kind of strength? The strength of looking someone in the eye, someone you may know, love or trust, and telling them no. The strength of walking away, when every fiber in your body is telling you to stay. What about the kind of strength it takes to stand up in the face of what is wrong, and refuse to bend to conformity or societal pressures?

Strength is so much more than fitness or just traditional fights.

Strength is getting up every day and having the courage to live. Strength is taking every punch that life can throw at you and staring it boldly in the face and muttering that timeless line, “may I have another?” It’s walking blindly into the face of undeniable failure and refusing to back down, because you know it’s the right thing to do. It’s doing what is right when everyone around you is doing what is wrong.

Strength. It’s all about character.