Standing Strong: Finding Balance in Life with Spiritual Abs

Rabbi Noam Raucher, MA.Ed

(A big beautiful ocean blue tidal wave)

I love going to the beach. Every year, I have to spend at least one day at the beach. And I make sure my kids do the same. I love everything about going to the beach. Even the occasional sunburns and guarantee that I’ll find sand everywhere afterwards. For me, it’s not just about being in nature. It’s about being by the ocean and in the waves, and what they teach me about life and what I’m capable of.

Life is a lot like standing in the ocean: expansive, beautiful, unpredictable, and life-giving. The waves, relentless and powerful, represent the obstacles and challenges we encounter daily. Some waves are gentle, barely noticeable, while others crash with such force they can knock us off our feet. Maintaining balance in the face of these waves is a metaphor for achieving stability and strength amidst life’s difficulties. The key to standing upright against these forces lies in developing our “spiritual abs.”

Just as our physical abs provide core strength, enabling us to maintain our balance and posture, our spiritual abs are the core of our emotional and spiritual well-being. They consist of inner resilience, mental fortitude, and spiritual grounding that help us stay upright and strong, no matter how turbulent the waves of life may become. Here are some methods for

Building Spiritual Strength

Like with any muscle, our spiritual abs need practice to make them stronger. Finding balance does not come in the form of a pill. One only develops the balance they need for challenges by taking the time to build the muscles to make it happen.

1. Mindfulness and Meditation — Mindfulness practices, such as meditation, help us center ourselves, fostering a sense of calm and clarity. By taking time each day to be still, we cultivate an awareness of our inner strength and learn to respond to life’s waves with greater poise.
2. Emotional Resilience — Emotional resilience involves developing the ability to bounce back from adversity. It’s about recognizing our feelings, understanding their sources, and learning to manage them in healthy ways. Techniques such as journaling, talking to a trusted friend, or seeking professional counseling can help strengthen our emotional resilience.
3. Spiritual Practices — Engaging in spiritual practices, such as prayer, reading sacred texts, or participating in religious community activities, can fortify our spiritual abs. These practices provide a sense of purpose and connection to something greater than ourselves, grounding us even when life feels chaotic.
4. Self-Care — Taking care of our physical health through exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate rest directly impacts our emotional and spiritual well-being. Activities that nourish our bodies also rejuvenate our spirits, giving us the energy to face challenges head-on.
5. Gratitude — Practicing gratitude shifts our focus from what’s lacking in our lives to what we have. By regularly reflecting on the positives, we build a foundation of contentment and joy, which strengthens our resilience against life’s storms.

Standing Tall Against the Waves

When we develop our spiritual abs, we equip ourselves to stand strong and balanced, even when life’s waves are at their most formidable. Here are some practical ways to embody this strength:

1. Stay Grounded — Like a surfer finding their balance on a surfboard, stay grounded in your values and beliefs. Knowing what you stand for and why gives you a stable foundation, making it harder for external forces to knock you down.
2. Embrace Flexibility — Just as physical flexibility helps in maintaining balance, being flexible in our approach to life’s challenges is crucial. Adaptability allows us to navigate obstacles with grace, adjusting our stance as needed to maintain equilibrium.
3. Lean on Support Systems — No one stands alone in the ocean; surfers often rely on their community for support and encouragement. Similarly, lean on your support systems — family, friends, mentors, and spiritual communities. They can provide the strength and perspective needed to stay upright.
4. Practice Patience — Waves come and go; some are bigger than others. Practicing patience and understanding that difficult times are often temporary can help us maintain our balance. Trusting that calmer waters will follow gives us the fortitude to endure the rough seas.
5. Cultivate Inner Peace — Inner peace acts as an anchor, keeping us steady even when external circumstances are tumultuous. Through practices like deep breathing, affirmations, and spiritual reflection, we can cultivate a serene core that withstands any storm.

Life’s challenges can often feel like relentless waves trying to knock us off our feet. However, by developing our spiritual abs we can stand strong and balanced. With mindfulness, emotional resilience, spiritual practices, self-care, and gratitude, we fortify ourselves against life’s storms. By staying grounded, embracing flexibility, leaning on support systems, practicing patience, and cultivating inner peace, we maintain our balance and navigate life’s waves with confidence, grit, and resiliency.

When I walk out into the ocean I’m not just testing my physical abs for their strength, but my ability to face whatever challenges come my way. The visual and physical prompts of standing balanced when the undertow pulls my feet and the waves hit my chest stir up some thoughts in me: Send me everything you’ve got. You’re not taking me out. Even if I fall, I’m going to get back up.