| Our family has never really done “New Year’s resolutions” – instead, we each choose a word. Everyone chooses a word that means something significant to them for the new year. A word that you want to see through, and have it manifest in your life over that next year with whatever comes your way – the turns and dips in the road, the joy and celebrating, the moments that make up the journey throughout the year. In talking with someone very close to me, the word “Courage” surfaced. This was the word they felt like was for them in the new year. “Things are changing”, she told me – and “having the courage to lean in or out” would be important for her. The more I’ve thought about it over the last few weeks and what God might have for me in the new year, I’ve arrived at the same word. Hopefully she won’t mind. I was recently re-reading something my Uncle David wrote a few years ago about the story of Peter. He writes – Jesus didn’t ask Peter to walk on water. Peter asked if he could join Jesus, and Jesus said, “Come”. There is the faith that follows orders, then there is the faith that asks without invitation. The greatest faith asks: “Jesus, can I join you in doing the impossible?” Courage to me, is about being willing to step out onto the water. And I don’t think it’s always something that presents itself to us as an invitation. I don’t think courage is always a nice and neat option that’s laid out for us to choose. I think maybe it’s often things that aren’t obvious or visible at first, things we wouldn’t even allow ourselves to imagine or think would be logical to do. Courage isn’t just about being willing to step out onto the water, it’s about having the guts to ask. This year I’m stepping out onto the water. I’m going to be vulnerable in relationships, be willing to fight when the odds seem insurmountable – but more importantly for me, have the courage to lay down my sword, surrender and trust God when everything inside me wants to lunge forward. I’m going to walk forward with my hands open rather than with clenched fists, place trust in others and love freely without holding back to preserve or protect myself, give of myself to others willingly and with an openness that means I could get taken advantage of or hurt – and dare to have the faith that asks Jesus without an invitation. This past weekend was the first time I had ever seen the movie, “UP”. It follows the story of Carl and the courage he has to embrace his loss, seek adventure and speak affirmation into a young boy’s life. Carl’s story reminded me of something about courage that I’m going take with me into 2020..and that is that a worthy life is in all of the small moments that make up the greater story. Our dreams and visions for the future are realized in the small moments and sometimes ‘the boring stuff’ with the people we cherish along the way. The view of the falls is beautiful when and if we do get there, but the magnificence of a life is in the journey and the love that’s shared in pursuing it together. Perhaps being courageous isn’t always the biggest deed we think it is of reaching the peak, but rather leaning into the everyday moments that compound into the story of a lifetime. |