Strength Also Knows When to Pause

03Learn · Reflection

Reflection

Real strength does not always show up when we react quickly or try to impose ourselves on other people. Very often it shows up when we learn to stop, to breathe and to answer with wisdom. God can help you grow in self-control, so that your emotions do not run your words or your decisions.

Roger Federer is known not only for his talent on the tennis court, but also for the calm way he learned to handle his own emotions during matches.

It was not always like that. When he was younger, he got frustrated easily and often reacted on impulse when something did not go the way he expected.

Over time he understood that learning to manage his emotions was as important as training his body. He began to breathe deeply, to think before reacting and to stay calm even under enormous pressure. That does not mean he never felt anger or frustration. It means that, little by little, he learned not to let those emotions take control.

Many people believe that being strong means reacting fast, winning arguments or never showing emotion. Yet real strength often shows up in the person who knows how to stop, to think and to answer with wisdom.

God wants to teach us that kind of strength too: a strength that knows how to hold its impulses and care for the heart, even in the hard moments.