Bravery
Webster dictionary defines bravery as the quality that allows someone to do something dangerous or frightening. When we think of bravery we usually think of firefighters running into burning buildings to rescue people, but real courage is often more subtle than that. Real courage is the strength to face our inner worlds, look under the hood and be curious about what is happening. The looking is not about fault finding, but about opening doors of the heart to visit rooms that have been bolted shut. The sealed rooms of unspoken cries, aches, longings and disappointments have to be aired out or the wounds begin to give off a stench that filters into every aspect of our lives. When we visit the cordoned off rooms with the grace of Christ, he reaches in and touches the places we keep invisible to the world, and the fractures of the heart are healed. Sometimes our greatest act of courage is the willingness to get out of bed and face another day. In the midst of hurting and bleeding, we step into life and choose to live. I am not sure if there is a greater act of courage. Hiding behind a curtain of numbness can feel safe and secure, but after a while, there is the realization that you are more dead than alive. Being fully alive means giving a voice to all that is within--the good, the bad and the ugly. God does not dissect us. He does not have an a ounce of cruelty in him. He loves us as a whole. He does not split off the good and the bad. He extends his hands and says, "Come as you are. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matt. 11:30)
