Welcome to the EarthCare Module on "Strength."
Unit Focus: The spiritual principle of strength involves the ability to stand strong in our Truth, even in the face of challenging circumstances. It is part of what enables us to be kind even when being treated unkindly, and to act and think lovingly even in challenging interactions. Spiritual strength includes the ability to know who and what we are and what our value is without needing validation from friends, family, lovers, or society. Jesus provided a profound example of spiritual strength.• Divine Strength is a divine idea and spiritual principle active in all creation
• Divine Strength is realized in humans through the mind of the heart
• Divine Strength is the spiritual integrity of interdependent systems throughout creation
• Divine Strength is unending endurance
- Describe their understanding of Divine STRENGTH as a divine idea lived
- Describe examples of Divine Strength working as a design in all creation.
- Identify the human role in living Divine STRENGTH as endurance to care for creation
- Integrate the spiritual principle of Divine STRENGTH as related to care for the planet by listing three spiritual practices that reveal Divine Strength in a Unity service, class, or service project.
Christ awareness reveals Divine Strength as me. Strength is my divine enduring power to care for all, including the earth, water, and air, all living creatures, and all living things. “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” –Matthew 19:26
I claim now the power of spiritual strength. I claim divine guidance in wielding and embodying strength to bring beauty and joy into my life and into the world. I affirm complete health in the relationship between all beings and between humans and the rest of nature. Knowing that spiritual strength is my birthright and a power available to all beings, I say thank you, and so it is!
The Spiritual Power of Strength
By Rev. Cylvia Hayes
Modern Western culture has a fairly twisted, or at least narrow, concept of strength. Strength is often viewed as physical prowess or the ability to control. The spiritual principle of strength is so much more beautiful and genuinely powerful than that. It involves the ability to stand strong in our Truth even in the face of challenging circumstances. It is part of what enables us to be kind even when being treated unkindly, and to act and think lovingly even in challenging interactions. Spiritual strength includes the ability to know who and what we are, and what our value is, without needing validation from friends, family, lovers, or society. Jesus provided a profound example of drawing on spiritual strength to stand steady in his truth against intense ridicule and assault. He spoke truth to power in challenging misguided leaders of his time.
In her book, Adventures in Resilience: Ignite the 12 Powers in You to Create a Radiant Life, Sharon Connors wrote, “Spiritualized strength is the power to stand in the spiritual truth we know, to practice spiritual principles even when it is difficult, and to act courageously even with authentic spiritual motives. This strength supports the activity of empowered and sustained direction.”
Stamina and resiliency are aspects of strength. Well-conditioned physical muscles enable us to have physical endurance. Well-developed spiritual muscles provide us with the capacity to live our most empowered and accomplished lives. Resiliency allows us to survive trauma and thrive on the other side. Mother Earth is a gorgeous example of resiliency. Time and time again, she demonstrates how quickly she can heal when humans stop inflicting harm. For instance, the number of wild tigers in India doubled between 2010 and 2022 due to a reduction in poaching and advances in conservation. Humpback whales were hunted nearly to extinction, but with bans on hunting and conservation measures, the number of these magnificent creatures has rebounded to over 80,000. These are just two of myriad such examples. Stepping out of victimhood and embracing healing is an aspect of spiritual strength.
Another aspect of spiritual strength is courage. Courage is not the same as fearlessness. Courage is the ability to feel fear and choose to move forward anyway, to choose not to let fear be the victor. Faith and spiritual strength are highly complementary. Centered in strength and faith, we become bolder and more courageous.
Flexibility can be another aspect of spiritual strength. Seemingly strong trees will break apart in mighty winds if not flexible enough to bend and sway and move with the tempest. Rigidity prevents us from considering new possibilities, whereas flexibility allows us to consider new ideas and expand our understanding. It allows us to find beauty and even pleasure when events go in directions we hadn’t planned.
In Keep a True Lent, Charles Fillmore wrote, “Strength is freedom from weakness, stability of character, power to withstand temptation. It is the force or power to do, to accomplish.”
Lesson Engagement
This pre-recorded talk is available for your personal use or for viewing in your congregation (in-person or online). The speaker is Rev. Kathy Harwood Long and she is available as a guest speaker. She can be contacted here.
Content by Rev. Cylvia Hayes
Content by Rev. Eliasa Sabogal
Recently, scientists discovered ancient coral supporting “a breathtaking mix” of marine life in the deep waters of the Galapagos Islands Marine Reserves. The previously undocumented reefs sit at a depth of over 1,300 feet in the center of the archipelago, at the top of a previously unmapped seamount. They are pristine and teeming with life – pink octopus, batfish, squat lobsters, and an array of deep-sea fish and sharks. The scientists said the discovery of the pristine reef structure gives hope that healthy reefs can thrive even though rising ocean temperatures and other environmental challenges are currently impacting our oceans.