Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
I read some more. And the book of Ester, well, Ester is about courage.
Courage comes in many forms. It shows up like Ester's, in a court at a banquet when everyone is watching: to face a great fear and have great faith. It's when someone dedicates their life to a greater purpose like joining the military during wartime. It happens when a drunk decides not to drink today. It is when we go to God and ask for forgiveness. It is our heart breaking so we can find what it means to truly love someone. To be able to unconditionally love someone for all that they are, were and will be. To love someone inspite of their flaws, quirks or mental illness. It is loving our enemies. Courage comes from the Great Love. The Love that God has for us. Courage is a spiritual principle that God has given us. It takes lots of courage to love such a fallible creature as a human.
Courage is being willing, willing to let God have all of me. Giving Him the good, which is the easy part. And give Him the bad which is harder. I don't want people to know about the bad parts, especially God. I am arrogant enough to believe that He doesn't already know. But it's a lot like going back into the store and telling the lady behind the counter that I am sorry I stole the Smurf figurine from her Riches Store. It's just not something I want to do. It is embarrassing. It is acknowledging that the bad stuff actually happened and sometimes that I did the bad stuff. To be frank, I've done a lot of bad stuff that I am not going to tell you about...ever. And I mean, I don't know about you, but I want God to think the best of me. I want God's approval. Luckily, He takes the bad in stride with the good.
Courage is committing to God as a partner in life. It's being able to scream, kick, cry, say ugly things at God. It's about telling God all the innermost parts of my thoughts and emotions. I am so selfish by creation. My experience is that it takes the spiritual fortitude to overcome selfishness. I have found the Great Love hidden under my selfishness & self-centeredness. When I get out of the way of God, the Sunlight of the Spirit shines through me. I am able to have the courage that it takes to do great things and experience the Greatness of God.
Courage comes in many forms. It shows up like Ester's, in a court at a banquet when everyone is watching: to face a great fear and have great faith. It's when someone dedicates their life to a greater purpose like joining the military during wartime. It happens when a drunk decides not to drink today. It is when we go to God and ask for forgiveness. It is our heart breaking so we can find what it means to truly love someone. To be able to unconditionally love someone for all that they are, were and will be. To love someone inspite of their flaws, quirks or mental illness. It is loving our enemies. Courage comes from the Great Love. The Love that God has for us. Courage is a spiritual principle that God has given us. It takes lots of courage to love such a fallible creature as a human.
Courage is being willing, willing to let God have all of me. Giving Him the good, which is the easy part. And give Him the bad which is harder. I don't want people to know about the bad parts, especially God. I am arrogant enough to believe that He doesn't already know. But it's a lot like going back into the store and telling the lady behind the counter that I am sorry I stole the Smurf figurine from her Riches Store. It's just not something I want to do. It is embarrassing. It is acknowledging that the bad stuff actually happened and sometimes that I did the bad stuff. To be frank, I've done a lot of bad stuff that I am not going to tell you about...ever. And I mean, I don't know about you, but I want God to think the best of me. I want God's approval. Luckily, He takes the bad in stride with the good.
Courage is committing to God as a partner in life. It's being able to scream, kick, cry, say ugly things at God. It's about telling God all the innermost parts of my thoughts and emotions. I am so selfish by creation. My experience is that it takes the spiritual fortitude to overcome selfishness. I have found the Great Love hidden under my selfishness & self-centeredness. When I get out of the way of God, the Sunlight of the Spirit shines through me. I am able to have the courage that it takes to do great things and experience the Greatness of God.
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