Thursday 16 April 2009

More with courage as a way to face fear - from "The Strength to Love."

Courage, the determination not to be overwhelmed by any object, however frightful, enables us to stand up to any fear. Many of our fears are not mere snakes under the carpet. Trouble is a reality in this strange medley of life, dangers lurk within the circumference of every action, accidents do occur, bad health is an ever-threatening possibility, and death is a stark, grim, and inevitable fact of human experience. Evil and pain in this conundrum of life are close to each of us, and we do both ourselves and our neighbors a great disservice when we attempt to prove that there is nothing in this world of which we should be frightened. These forces that threaten to negate life must be challenged by courage, which is the power of life to affirm itself in spite of life's ambiguities. This requires the exercise of a creative will that enables us to hew out a stone of hope from a mountain of despair.

"A creative will that enables us to hew out a stone of hope from a mountain of despair" - what a wonderful image. In some ways, there is a bit of poetry involved in courageous living. That doesn't mean we must be poets and good with words. Rather, it means we must be able to release our imagination and grab hold of images that can sustain us when we are in a place and time that seems to be overwhelming us. That one stone of hope can gather up within us the courage to take on that mountain - or at least find other people of hope who will face despair and fear with us. Being courageous means we use the gifts God has given us so that we can be a peaceable people who will not be overcome by evil - but rather face it all with an integrity of purpose that leaves behind rocks of hopefulness for others.

Connection: Again, my old theme, find other people who are able to see those rocks of hope and are willing to be vulnerable and pick them up and begin to build a new way rather than simply throwing them at our fears.

Be our courage, O God. Remind us again that you call us as a people and never alone. We are your people and therefore, we are nourished as we come together as a creative and imaginative collection of people who will find opportunites to be courageous together. Amen.