EMPOWERMENT UNLOCKED

By Prof. Denise Faith Belizario

We all know that, in our personal and professional lives, we will always encounter trials of various kinds, and experience "rock bottom" moments when we feel like we are victims of our own circumstances; that we feel there may not be a way out. During such times, in our weakness, we dare ask or question the Lord if there is still hope that things will change for the better. This then pushes us to seek ways with which we can be empowered amidst all these.

Generally, "empowerment" is defined as having the power, authority, or agency to do something. Practically, this is something one can easily aspire to by just relying on yourself and maybe a few choice people. Questions like “What makes you feel the most empowered?” will naturally crop up, and so will its opposite: “What makes you feel the least empowered?” The whole notion of empowerment or being empowered differs from person to person, though there are shared ideas and experiences that resonate with all.

Empowerment is crucial to our overall well-being, for we need to have greater control over our own lives in order to achieve a positive mental and emotional state.

The reality is this: our lives will never be free from the things that make us feel that crippling feeling of "powerlessness". But nonetheless, we can still be empowered given the correct perspective. We can scour self-help books for guidance and adhere to an array of worldviews; we can self-reflect, focus on our strengths, challenge negative thoughts, adopt a growth mindset, and cultivate a sense of gratitude (among many other things), and they will all be valid. But the gnawing feeling of emptiness will still, every now and then, linger, and our sense of empowerment will diminish from time to time, less so to some, more frequently to others. As young Christian professionals navigating an increasingly complicated culture predicated on wants rather than needs, on the self's many whims, to what, or more importantly, to whom do we turn to when that emptiness and powerlessness kick in?

Going back to the established secular definition of empowerment and then looking at it side by side with a more Biblical notion of it, it's clear as day; "empowerment" is never up to us.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” - Proverbs 19:21

With this in mind, we then know that the Lord is ultimately sovereign. We can make plans, and we can try to take full control of our days and our lives, but there will come points when the Lord will humble us and frustrate our plans because His plans are and will always be better. So, should not being in control of our circumstances make us feel unempowered, powerless? The simple answer is no.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9-12, it reads: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Our being empowered does not hinge on our works, or how perfect we have lived our lives. Instead, it is premised on the truth that it is His grace that sustains. It is His power that is made perfect in weakness. In our weakness, it's perfectly fine and normal to be weak and powerless, so that during such low points, such moments of emptiness, it is Christ who will fill us up, and empower us.

This does not mean, though, that we will forget about the practical tips. Those will still be helpful in order for us to do our worldly duties better and ultimately glorify God in our endeavors. But these, of course, should, always be done in light of the Scripture, in light of our ultimate goal as Christians.

"At the end of the day, no matter our circumstances, we are encouraged that the greatest picture or moment of empowerment was best displayed at the cross."

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Our original destiny was to perish in our sinfulness, but through the empowering saving work of His Son, we are called to eternal life. This is the clearest manifestation of His grace toward us, and the clearest proof that we are empowered in Him and in Him alone.

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Prof. Denise Faith Belizario is a faculty member of De La Salle University Dasmarinas under the Psychology Department and is a part-time instructor at Mapua Malayan Digital College.

As part of her local church’s multimedia and communications team, she is also a volunteer in various organizations and initiatives that seek to make Christ known and serve others.