If you write, or have considered the prospect of setting word to page [long-hand or by keyboard] you may have felt doubtful about the process and the results. Will it make sense? Will it inspire, instruct, enlighten, or entertain in a way meaningful to the reader?
There are those who support and encourage us as writers while others will pooh-pooh our efforts and offer [often uninvited] a dozen reasons why we need to focus our time and attention on things that will produce more measurable outcomes.
If being a writer requires the write kind of courage, the truth of the matter is this—courage can be an equal opportunity companion. Feel a little nudge to climb a mountain? Call on courage and begin with a large hill. Have a desire to learn how to cook? Call on courage and signup for a culinary class.
Courage also has little regard for age. Ever seen a curious toddler wiggle up to a new puppy? Courage in the guise of openness to a new experience. On the other hand, what about the wounded warrior straining against a set of weights to strengthen and heal a broken body? Courage dressed as bravery and perseverance.
We often think courageous people are those engaged in the extreme—soldiers in combat, medics in the ER, teachers in front a class full of high-schoolers. All true, all to be appreciated and commended.
However, when I think of courage I often think of the hummingbird. Tiny, yet packed with energy and strength, it flies about in a world that often includes numerous predators, nasty weather, and long, continuous journeys for nourishment.
In many ways you and I are like that hummingbird. Our world is full of people and circumstances unpleasant enough to scare the bravest among us into a corner, blanket over our head. On the other hand, what if we called on courage and lived like the tiny, feathered wisp of a bird? What would that look like?
To live this way would be to leave our nest in the morning [literally or figuratively] and move about our corner of the world with a courageous spirit, trusting the Divine to lead and guide us throughout the day. To live this way would mean to let go of our expectations and loosen our grip on our need to control every aspect of every moment of the day. Now that, fellow sojourner, is how God defines true courage.
Do I feel like I’m a courageous person? If not, why?
Have I had experiences of being courageous that had less than desired results?
Can I choose the courage God has given me to be the person He’s called me to be?
