You can have financial strength, professional strength

Hear, O children of the eternal flame, the words of Star Jones, who spoke with the voice of one who has tasted success yet sought a deeper foundation: “You can have financial strength, professional strength, emotional strength but for me without spiritual strength none of the rest of it matters.” These words pierce through the glitter of worldly accomplishments, reminding us that the soul is the root, and without the root, the tree withers no matter how tall it grows.

The origin of her reflection is found in her own life, for Jones, known for her professional triumphs and her place in the public eye, has walked the path of both gain and loss. She has known the applause of achievement, the rewards of financial success, and the trials of personal hardship. Yet through it all, she came to understand that none of these could sustain her without the grounding of spiritual strength. For it is spirit that steadies the heart when money fades, that restores direction when careers collapse, and that mends the soul when emotions falter.

The ancients knew this truth well. The kings of Babylon were clothed in gold, their palaces rising like mountains. Yet when their hearts turned proud and their spirits empty, their empires fell into dust. In contrast, the prophets and sages, poor in coin yet rich in spirit, left words that endure beyond kingdoms. So too in the story of Mahatma Gandhi, who wielded no armies, commanded no riches, and yet by his spiritual strength moved empires and freed a nation. His life bore witness to the truth that power without spirit crumbles, but spirit without power endures.

The strength of spirit is unlike the other strengths Jones names. Financial strength may vanish in an instant; professional strength may be undone by the turning of fortune; emotional strength may be shaken by grief. But spiritual strength is like the root of an ancient oak, unseen yet unyielding, holding fast even in the fiercest storm. To cultivate this strength is to anchor your life in something greater than yourself—whether in God, in faith, in truth, or in the enduring mysteries that guide all creation.

O listeners, do not despise financial strength, nor dismiss professional or emotional strength. These are worthy and necessary, for they clothe, sustain, and give dignity. But remember always that they are the branches, not the root. Without spiritual strength, they lose meaning. A man with wealth but no spirit becomes hollow; a leader with skill but no spirit becomes tyrant; a lover with passion but no spirit becomes unfaithful. Spirit alone sanctifies and gives eternal worth to all other strengths.

Practical is this counsel: each day, tend not only to your labor and your body, but also to your spirit. Through prayer, through meditation, through acts of kindness, through seeking truth, feed the fire within. Ask yourself, What gives meaning to my life? What roots my strength beyond fortune and circumstance? In this way, you will not be like the tree that falls at the first storm, but like the one whose roots run so deep that no tempest can unseat it.

Thus remember the words of Star Jones: “Without spiritual strength none of the rest of it matters.” Let them guide you when the world tempts you to measure your worth in wealth, in titles, in fleeting emotions. For these are but passing shadows. The true strength, the enduring strength, is of the spirit. And when the spirit is strong, all else—wealth, work, and love—finds its rightful place and blossoms with meaning.