My kids inspired me this week.
Little Rivkah, who turns four today, finally took the plunge. She's been considering letting go of her pacifier and 'blanky', which she typically hung out with for 12-18 hours a day. This week, she just gave it up. Cold turkey. (I won't go into the bribes :))
Then something amazing happened. Her two older sisters, who had strong attachments of their own to their own comforts, watched what she did, and right then and there decided to give up their own attachments. Just a day earlier they wouldn't have even entertained the thought of it. But "if she did it, so could we"!
It made me realize that we are much stronger than we think we are.
Often, the strength and willpower we exhibit is the result of and reflects our circumstances. After scoring a big win, for instance, financially or academically we may feel really empowered and sense like we're on top of the world, and we can do anything.
We should not be limited to circumstances though. True strength can and must come from within.
In this week's Torah portion, Vayigash, Yehudah confronts the second most powerful person in the Egyptian empire (he did not yet know it was his own brother), to stand up and protect his brother Binyamin.
Circumstantially, Yosef was the one in the position of power and had every advantage over the desperate Yehudah.
Yet Yehudah didn't approach with weakness, desperation or inferiority. He approached and confronted respectfully yet driven and empowered. Yehuda's descendants ultimately held the seat of leadership for much of Jewish history (think: David and Solomon).
Sometimes, all we need is a little reminder of our inner strength and ability to make significant changes in our life. Little Rivkah inspired me. Who inspires you?