When you hear the word courage, who are some people who come to mind?
How would you describe a courageous person?
What makes someone courageous?
Are these courageous men and women brave, bold, unafraid, not scared of anything or anyone?
They don't bat an eye at danger - running into fiery buildings or battling on the front lines to save lives and protect those they love (and those they don't even know).
They don't feel sick to their stomach or hide shaking legs behind the podium as they speak in front of large crowds.
They don't worry if they are cut out for the job, worrying if they will measure up to everyone's expectations.
They don't hesitate to say what's on their mind, stand up for what's right, defend the helpless, demand justice for the oppressed, or call for change in a corrupted world.
Or do they?
Does being courageous mean you are never scared or worried or hesitant? Does it mean your hands never shake or that you never run to the bathroom to get rid of the butterflies? Does it mean you are 100% confident 100% of the time.
Absolutely NOT.
At least not in MY book.
I think we do ourselves an injustice when we view courage in this way.
For who then can be truly courageous?
NO ONE.
And that is not good, not good at all.
Our world would have NO hope whatsoever if courage required a lack of fear.
Rather, I have come to believe courage helps ANYONE to act in spite of fear.
Courage grows in the heart.
It is rooted in a belief, a passion, a purpose, a calling, a vision, a dream.
And no matter what, that cannot be restrained.
Hence, courageous poeple are undaunted, determined, committed, steadfast.
Some may even consider courageous people radical.
THAT is where I think we get hung up and start to shrink back from becoming courageous ourselves.
We wonder what others will think of us.
We fear ruining our reputation, missing out on a promotion, losing friends, hurting someone's feelings, stepping on someone's toes, getting strange looks, or whatever else we come up with in our minds that we worry might happen to us if we act courageously.
And we forget what might happen if we do.
We could impact a life.
We could give someone hope.
We could inspire someone to go after their dreams.
We could brighten someone's day.
We could restore a relationship.
We could alter history.
We could change the world.
Before I get ahead of myself, though, I want to explain why I am doing this SERIES on courage. Over the next few days, I want to talk about:
*what courage is
*how God's ways are NOT our ways (and thus it's GOOD to be different, to do things differently)
*how it doesn't really matter what others think - it's not about them, or us, anyway
*how so many "voices" are vying for our attention and how to determine which ones are telling the truth and thus which ones we should listen to at all
*how life is a race, a RELAY, and how we EACH must run our part well for the sake of everyone else on the team (those present with us now and those generations yet to come)
*how to leave a legacy, one that inspires others to live up to their fullest potential and serves as a catalyst to help others live courageously too
Beyond courage, really, I want to touch on a topic near and dear to my heart, so much so that it is welling up inside of me, bubbling over. I can't keep quiet any longer. I can't tame it down. I HAVE to share what God has impressed upon me.
Am I scared? Nervous?
You bet.
BUT, I believe far too many of us are missing out on so much that I can't sit back and let that happen any more.
We are made for more.
You.
Me.
Every single person on the face of earth.
Regardless of race, ethnicity, location, economical status, gender, age, physical or mental abilities, or anything else that could possibly caterogize us in any way.
We are ALL created for a purpose.
A divine purpose.
And that right there should be enough to instill us with at least a trace of courage.
It should stir up within us a hunger, a thirst.
To do more.
To BE more.
We ARE made for more.
We are made to THRIVE.
We are offered abundant life.
But it is up to us to make that CHOICE to live purposefully, passionately, courageously.
And if we do, as we do, we begin to see how our life has meaning.
EVERY day we are given, every breath we take is meant for something.
So the question remains - what are we going to do with the time we have been given?
Will we cower?
Or will we stand?
Courageously...
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