“Connect to your core and you will find strength.  Act from your core and you will move mountains.” – Gabriella Goddard

“Let silence take you to the core of life.” – Rumi

Think for a moment as if you were the ocean – vast and deep.  Imagine as the clouds stirred and moved above you, a storm began to take form.  As the storm grew in intensity, the winds strengthened and large waves tossed and turned on the surface.  Seeing yourself as this vast and deep ocean, feel the raging tempest that is occurring on the surface of your waters.

Now, imagine you sink down – deeper into the depths of yourself.  The deeper you go, you begin to feel the effects of the storm that is raging on your surface less and less.  The deeper you go down, there are no currents, no clouds, no storm – just calm and stillness.  On the surface, there is chaos, but deep down underneath, in the very depths of the ocean that you are, there is a quiet tranquility.

Now imagine you are a large mountain – one that rises high above a vast valley.  As you sit grounded and firmly implanted in the earth, look at the trees, flowers, and the landscape that covers you.  Feel the grass that grows on the surface of who you are and how the winds that blow move and sway it in the gentle breeze.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a lightning bolt strikes a group of trees on your surface.  A wildfire begins to ignite – growing and spreading rapidly.  The trees, flowers and grasses that beautifully adorned your surface are consumed.  Feel the heat, the burning, and the destruction that are occurring all around you.

But as the wildfire rages on, dig down within yourself – far beneath your dirt and soil.  Dig deep, down to your bedrock – the deepest layer of rock within you.  Can you feel the stability, the strength, the immovable nature of who you are as this mountain?  The wildfire can consume and destroy your surface, but as that mountain, firmly rooted and embedded in the earth itself, you will remain steadfast and endure.  At the very core of what and who you are, you are solid and impenetrable.  No fire, wind, or storm can move you.

Can you see the correlation of the ocean and the mountain analogy to your life?  Can you see the significance and the importance of who you are deep within yourself – the core essence of who you? Can you see and feel how the storms of life change, how our view of them and their impact on us transform when we focus on the core of who we really are?

Here is the challenge today…..

What lies at the very center of who you are?  What elements make up the core structure and foundation of the deepest parts within you?

You see….too often we end up defining ourselves by what is happening on the surface.  We place our value in how we look, what we have, and if our lives are stable and drama-free.  It would be like the ocean seeing itself strictly in terms of its mirror, calm surface or what is happening only in its shallowest of waters.  It would be like the mountain defining itself by its withering grasses or its blooming wildflowers or the snows that cover it occasionally.

But the ocean is vast and deep – the mountain solid and immovable.

Who you are isn’t what is happening to you on the outside.  It isn’t marriages, finances, jobs, or circumstances that define you.  What lies in the deepest parts of you, what makes you who you truly are is found in your core, your bedrock – not in the sediment, but in the layer of solid mantle.  That core of who you are isn’t in the shallow waters, but in the deepest depths within.

When you begin to mediate on your own core, what truly makes you who you are, the immovable aspects of your nature, you will find core beliefs, core values, and core principles that define you.  What you believe about yourself, the values you hold dear, the principles that drive your actions….these things are at the very center of who you are.

So ask yourself…..What do I believe about myself and my life? What are the values I choose to live by?  What principles do I embrace?

You see….when you begin to hash out what these are, you begin to identify the very core of your being.  It’s like the ocean understanding its vastness and depth – the mountain connecting to the layers of rock that make it stable and strong.

By identifying with the values, principles, and beliefs that you hold (your core), you can not only begin the process of affirming those things and strengthening them in your life, you can begin to rely on and reside within them as the “surface” aspects of life unfold around you.

Once you have established these core attributes, write down some affirmations that support, strengthen, and breathe life into them each day.  For example:

“I believe in a loving God who is in control of all aspects of life, who loves me without condition, and who guides and gives me wisdom when I need it most.”

“The very core of who I am is loving, forgiving, and compassionate.”

“I always seek to understand before I speak….to do what is right for everyone involved.”

“Every day I choose to make a difference in the lives of those I love.”

“I choose to focus on how large my God is and His power within my life versus the size of my problems and uncertainty of my circumstances.”

Feed your core like this daily!  The more you do, the more you will identify with who you truly are as your life unfolds!  When the wildfires or tempests rage, you will naturally and without hesitation go to the deeper depths of who you are – to the inner layers that are solid and stable.

More importantly, you will begin to define yourself and your life not in terms of what is happening on the surface of things….but for who you are deep within yourself 🙂

You are not defined by the stability of your marriage, by how thick your wallet is, or by the beauty of your tan or toned muscles.  Who you are cannot be altered by storms that rage or the fires that burn on the surface. 

Realize today that the strength and stability, the depth and vastness of who you REALLY ARE can be found within – in your beliefs, values, and principles.  Think about what those are, identify them, affirm them often…..and when the seas stir and the fires ignite…go deep within yourself and feel the calm depths and the solid layers that make up the very essence of YOU 🙂

God bless!