Courage does not imply the lack of fear but the capacity to overcome it and venture on.
I am privileged to meet many people who demonstrate that courage is just that, the capacity to overcome and venture on. However, rarely do I meet someone who has that courage alone... It comes through another person, present or past... through experience, relationships and people reaching out to the other.
"I exist because you exist" is a humbling statement that can put a whole different emphasis on every relationship. "Man becomes great especially in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow man".
(The first quote is Bonhoeffer and the second is Ghandi.)
What happens when we take every single relationship as a relationship for which we are accountable, from the person on the checkout to our nearest and dearest? How do we really love our neighbour as ourself?
We often think we are helping another to make them better or greater, as if we are doing some sort of favour for them, but the reality is quite different, the greatness is already in the other, by treating the relationship as "loving our neighbour" then we are helping elicit, or bring out, that greatness.
If we demonstrate goodness, kindness, generosity, good fun, joy, forgiveness etc, it is because someone at some point in time has brought those great characteristics out, that were already there in our God given being.
Of course it is almost impossible to find some one who gets all their relationships right all the time and that's where forgiveness comes in... And the one who made it possible for all to be forgiven provides the hope that "does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us"
The courage to dare to overcome fear and genuinely relate to our neighbour in love...
Comments