Resilient: Powerful Hope in a Dangerous WorldSample

Do you consider yourself to be a strong person?

Your answer completely depends on what you define as strength.

Rae-Ann Miller is a strong woman by any standard. In 2021, at 45, this New York woman broke the record for women’s all-time bench press when she lifted 605 lbs. Miller was overcome with emotion after accomplishing this impressive feat. She gave credit to mentor and competitor Becca Swanson, widely considered in fitness circles to be the strongest woman of all time. By contrast, the men’s record was shattered in 2022 when Jimmy Kolb bench pressed a shocking 1,320 pounds.

Both of these accomplishments are monumental. At the same time,

it’s ok to recognize that men and women display physical strength differently.

In 1 Peter 3:5-7, we see that the Bible acknowledges the different kinds of strength men and women possess. The Bible teaches that this is a good thing in a relationship filled with love and honor. Scripture calls for husbands to wield their physical strength to bless their wives.

In addition, this passage highlights a shocking truth – women and men are equal inheritors of “the grace of life.” While many first-century religions treated women like second-class citizens, the New Testament teaches that women have an equal share in the Kingdom of God. This is a dynamic that should exist in true, Biblical marriages.

When was the last time you thought about the fact that you are meant to inherit God’s kingdom as a son or daughter of the king?

The more you grow in this knowledge, the more you will realize a new kind of strength. A spiritual strength. The Bible encourages us in Ephesians 6:10 to be “strong in the Lord” by taking up our spiritual armor. In 2 Corinthians 4, both men and women are called broken jars of clay who have been willed with a “surpassing power” that “belongs to God.”

Jesus redefines what it means to be strong. By bringing Him our weakness, we can unlock a source of strength more powerful than any obstacle we will ever face.

As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, ‘But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’