I have been thinking about strength lately (which tells you I’ve been needing some 😉 ).
The word brings to mind the Strengthsfinder book I was required to read for work back in the early 2000s. Its premise was that we spend too much time focusing on and improving our weaknesses and not enough on discovering and capitalizing on our strengths. It included a test that identified a person’s top five strengths. I took it and was told to “lean into” the strengths it told me I had.
Not bad advice, though I don’t remember now what my test results were. I do remember thinking that if I really leaned into my strengths and ignored my weaknesses, it would 
probably result in my losing my job.
That’s not the strength I need right now.
“Strength” also makes me think of the Rocky movies, which my husband introduced our younger children to during our stay-cation spring break. They were hooked by the first one and quickly watched 2, 3, and 4 on consecutive nights (he convinced them #5 was simply too cheesy). I watched bits of them with the crew but was eventually asked not to because I kept cringing at hard blows and delivering lectures about the violence of fighting sports. “Strength” in Rocky is physical, of course, but it is also human determination and grit and perseverance.
Again, not helpful right now.
Then, a couple days ago, I read the prayer “For Quiet Confidence” in the Book of Common Prayer. I’ve prayed it a lot in the past few months, but this time I noticed the theme of strength in it. It speaks of a strength that is available even when we are bone- and soul-tired, when both the Rocky and Strengthsfinder kinds of strength are simply useless, when we’ve come to the hard-but-blessed realization that we must look completely outside ourselves.
The prayer, drawn from Scripture, tells me my strength is found
in returning,
in rest,
in quietness,
in confidence in the God of the universe,
in stillness,
in the presence of the Lord,
in the might of the Spirit,
in knowing who God is and
in knowing his unfailing love for us.
O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray you, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Jen Underwood 
Nice post! How come you thought you’d lose your job if you leaned into your strengths?? I would think it would do the opposite!
http://tinaparkblog.com
I was being just a bit sarcastic 🙂 ! BUT, It was one of the first times my introvert/thinking/pondering side had been called a strength, and there were days that, rather than plan/teaching lessons, I simply wanted to sit for several hours and let it sink in. I just remember thinking that I needed time to let those strengths flourish, but giving them time would have taken from the more “productive” things required by my job–and could be detrimental to it!
Haha yes that’s fair call, it does take time to absorb these information, doesn’t it? I’m still figuring out how my strengths can make a difference to my work too. Have you managed to get far with pursuing your strengths? What I did was take about 30min each day to come up with action points based on my strength, even if it meant printing out my strengths and sticking them onto my computer monitor. Also I found it incredibly helpful to talk to a StrengthsFinder coach!