Tea with Linda - STRENGTH
Tea with Linda - STRENGTH
Linda Kavelin Popov, Co-Founder of TVP, March 2023.
When a coach sees champion potential in an athlete, do they think to themselves, “I’d better be gentle with this one.”? No. They push that individual right to the edge of their capacity, and in the process strengthen them to shine at the height of their power.
When we are tested to the very edge of our patience, tolerance, or endurance, rather than give in to despair, we can make a different choice - to invite the teachable moment. What virtues is this situation developing in me? To what new strengths is life calling me? What does the Creator want for me?
Dan and I recently came to the end of our rope of endurance. We’d been waiting months for Cook Islands Immigration to approve our application for volunteer permits to serve the people we have known and loved for years. We bring much needed skills in mental health and wellbeing as well as the strategies of The Virtues Project which have been applied in these islands for over 25 years. Three days before we were scheduled to fly out of the islands, never to return, we received the permits. For me, the teachable moment was to deepen my trust and to seek detachment as a refuge. The virtue at the heart of the matter was complete submission to the will of God. These virtues brought surprising tranquility, allowing me to release the frantic hope of staying and to accept whatever came as meant to be.
When word came that permission was granted, to my surprise, I felt no elation, just quiet acceptance. Being a woman of strong emotions, this felt strange. I had received guidance several days before during meditation not to emotionalize or take anything personally. This unfamiliar detachment about whether we went or whether we stayed is a new experience of peace for me. I need to mention the rather important fact that to get to that state of utter submission, I first needed to be companioned – by myself and trusted friends. And Dan of course. I needed to acknowledge my righteous indignation, my sense of injustice, my grief at the possibility of leaving what feels like home more than any place on earth. For that, I needed four things:
Kinship: Close family who could listen and understand how I felt, with no need to advise or change me. Consulting with Dan to seek options as we faced the unknown.
Worship: Bringing my whole reality into prayer, holding nothing back, seeking a conversation with my A-Team of Advisors, Ancestors and Angels. They had plenty to say and show me! They never lost faith.
Friendship: Close friends, including my Virtues Connection Circle – my story-keepers, who could listen to my anxiety and disappointment, and still mirror the virtues they saw in me. All of this support gave me the strength to go the distance, and to meet the fourth need.
Leadership: When we acknowledge our feelings, they no longer control us. We can stand on our holy ground, finding the strength and courage to follow whatever path Grace lays out before us.