My daughter is the only person in our family who hates Marvel movies. Well, there are some she likes—Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, Spiderman, and Captain Marvel. In fact, she even dressed like Captain Marvel last year for Halloween. One of her favorite scenes from that movie is when Captain Marvel realizes her full power. Before that, an alien race had put an implant into her that suppressed her ability. Her power rises as she speaks to her alien captor. While she rips out the implant, she says, “I’ve been fighting with one arm tied behind my back, but what happens when I’m set free?”
The answer? She conquers. Unfortunately, many of us live like we have an arm tied behind our backs on a daily basis. We go through life with something missing, lacking peace and wholeheartedness. Life ends up being lived in a deficit instead of in fullness and power. What if we lived differently? Here are 5 things that make people powerful.
1. They know they’re loved.
When people know they are loved, their souls are full. Best-selling author Brene Brown calls them “wholehearted” people. Wholehearted people are empowered with the ability to give to others. Those who don’t know they are loved live in a deficit and try to fill that hole. Unfortunately, many try to fill that hole with destructive things, attempt to numb the pain, or distract themselves. None of that provides a solution. But as Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus was willing to lay down his life for each of us. Know this: You are loved.
2. They know their value.
Another point Brene Brown makes about wholehearted people: They believe they are “worthy of love and belonging.” In other words, they know they’re valuable. Genesis 1 says that when God created the world, from the peak of Mount Everest to the depths of the sea, and all the animals, he saw that it was good. But then he made us in His image and thought it was “very good.” That’s your value. The God of all creation thinks you are greater than all of the beautiful things He created in the universe.
Are you willing to embrace the reality of who you are and the places where you can have the most impact?3. They know and embrace themselves.
We are all made different, with strengths and weaknesses. Powerful people don’t want to be someone else. They openly and honestly assess their shortcomings so they can improve and they do the same for their strengths so they can figure out where they are most effective. Their lives are also marked by gratitude for who they are and what they’ve been given. Are you willing to embrace the reality of who you are, the talents you possess, and the places where you can have the most impact?
4. They continue to learn.
Nothing is more frustrating to me than watching a team win a championship and then sign an amazing free agent—unless it’s one of my favorite teams. It’s simply watching the rich get richer. Powerful people are learners. They build up their knowledge, which is empowering, and then they continue to learn. Proverbs 9:9 says, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” If you want to become one of the powerful people, be a learner, and never stop learning.
5. They invite God into their lives.
God gave us life. Genesis 2:7 says, “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” At some point, God breathed life into each of us. When we invite Him into our lives, to submit to His will, to guide us, we are inviting Him to continuously breathe that life into us. It brings renewal, healing, and rejuvenation.
Sound off: What else makes people live with power?
Huddle up with your kids and ask, “What do you think makes people powerful?”