Facing Battles like Nephi and Theseus

We went on a field trip to the Dayton Art Institute last month, where I saw this statue for the first time.  It is a depiction of Theseus Slaying the Minotaur by Antoine-Louis Barye.  I'm not really an artsy person.  I didn't know the myth and had never heard of the artist before, but something about the piece connected with me.  I have thought about it many times since then.  The two characters are engaged in a very fierce, intimate battle.  The size and musculature are well  matched.  If anything, the Minotaur is depicted as a bit larger and stronger.  Theseus is the conqueror though.  His pose is that of a victorious warrior.  As I stood in the gallery I was impressed by his stance.  He is balanced.  He is stable.  In contrast, the Minotaur is unsteady and his strength is slackened because of that imbalance.

Theseus Slaying the Minotaur

Theseus models the balance and stability I am seeking right now.  I am not engaged in hand-to-hand combat (most days).  The battle I face is mental, emotional, and spiritual.  It rears its head in relationships, in homeschooling, in my calling, and in my inner struggle with self-worth.  So many times I feel like I have the posture of the Minotaur rather than the stance of Theseus.

This morning I was reading 2 Nephi 4, one of my favorite chapters in all of God's word.  I love how Nephi, a man known for his faith and courage, bears his soul so honestly about his struggles with his own negative emotions and reactions to the behaviors of others around him.  His strength slackened.  He yielded to sin and gave way to the same imbalance and instability of soul seen in the Minotaur.  That is so validating, isn't it?  My favorite part of his Psalm is how he then turns to the Lord with passion and desperation and pleads with the Lord to extend grace and mercy, to rescue and redeem him.  He asks for the Lord to be with him in those moments of weakness so he may be strong...that he may be founded upon the rock.  I love how he refers to Him twice as, "the rock," and then at the end it becomes, "MY ROCK." 

I have that desire--to be founded upon the Rock, and feel the connection with "the Rock" so personally and intimately that He is, "MY ROCK."  As I look at Theseus, his stance reflects that kind of stability and steadfastness.  He is the depiction of what it means to me to be "rooted and grounded."  Ephesians 3:16-19 states:

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

This was one of the first scriptures I "ponderized."  I still don't understand what it means.  Theseus gave me another piece of the puzzle though.  I need to have the Lord help me work on my stance.  I can acknowledge my weakness and tendency, like Nephi, to slacken my strength and yield in the midst of the battle, and then I can take a deep breath, square my shoulders, widen my stance, and stand firm and steadfast upon My Rock.  God is there.  He is with each of us in our battles--large and small.  I'm grateful for the example of Nephi in how to raise my voice in powerful prayer.  I read that chapter out loud today.  Wow.  Look out Minotaur.  Try reading it out loud when you feel your strength slacken and feel overcome or imbalanced.  The power of God's word is amazing!