“Courage”, reminds me of the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz. We all need courage, but it’s the coward in each of us that fears what having courage might bring. Courage is not the absence of fear as many might think. In fact, we should be careful about praying for courage, since God typically gives us far more to be frightened of so that we can take action using the gift of courage in the face of that fear.
In a world of considering our future and questioning if we have enough, perhaps we don't sense that we need much courage, or at times we may feel we need way more courage than we think we have.
We probably don't think much about the courage needed to go apply for a job in a new field or to have that first interview after working for the same company for 10+ years. But an immense amount of courage is needed each time we craft an email stating our qualifications and prepare to hit the send button, or picking up the phone to try to reach someone in our network that we haven't spoken to in years. In these times of economic change, courage is needed far more than we think. Courage isn't a matter of experience like our job skills are, it's a present-state attitude and behavior. Like the Cowardly Lion, we aren't born with courage, we generate courage at the times we need it most.
Sometimes a simple conversation with someone you love – be it a parent, a child, a spouse, a dear friend – where you may not agree or might have an unresolved issue with, requires immense courage. I know times when I need to speak with my daughter about something that will put us in conflict I get quite anxious and nervous. I get a little sweaty in my palms just thinking about the possible outcomes. It's then that I need to generate courage, call forth courage and be "courageous" as a result.
Questions to ponder: Consider times in your life where you have needed courage – what was the fear behind it? Did your courage ultimately overcome the fear?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment