Skip to main content

Ripping the Mask...

             Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

 

            What does courage feel like? Have you ever felt it? Maybe it’s just my distrust of feelings but I don’t think I have. I have felt unafraid or not felt afraid. I have felt pride at overcoming my fear or doing something someone would call courageous. But the whole point of courage is that one acts despite fear. Not feeling fear isn’t being courageous. It’s not being afraid, and it’s possible that not being afraid is foolish.

            We tend to have this notion that courage is something noble or heroic. As I write this, however, it comes to mind that it’s time to rip the mask off of the caped crusader known as “Courage.” What a surprise… it’s mild-mannered Self-Discipline… doing what you need to do despite not wanting to, or wanting desperately not to.  Oh dear, “Paradigm Shift!”

            The problem is that self-discipline isn’t at its best when used only in a crisis. Yes, there are stories of people performing amazing acts of strength in a crisis, but how much easier is it for someone who regularly lifts 200 pounds three days a week to lift 400 pounds than it is for someone who may lift ten pounds one day a week? To be strong and courageous in battle, one must practice not running from smaller things.

            So, the task I’m going to put in my to-do list is to make a list of things I should do that I’m afraid to or otherwise have been avoiding.  Yikes. Some of that list will involve doing what I do not want to do or think I can't. Some will involve stopping doing what I want to do or think I can't. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Pure...

            The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (I Timothy 1:5)   I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) I’m probably cheating - or mishandling the Bible, but earlier I was thinking about love being pure and purifying. And hatred being pure and purifying. And anger…joy…patience… fear… jealousy… courage…lust… and other strongly felt feelings, attitudes, and beliefs. Today’s verse brings purity and love together, so it’s the verse of the day, but it’s not really the focus. That means my motive for sharing it with you probably isn’t pure. As you read through my list, you   probably thought, “Yeah” about some, and “What’s she on?” about others. But consider how much hatred, a...
Post a Comment
Read more