I wonder how many times we have told our children (or even ourselves!) to just ‘be brave – it’s only a little spider,’ or ‘be brave, you can do it, just keep pedalling!’ when we teach them to ride a bike with no stabilizers for example. Easy to say – not so easy to do perhaps. Being brave takes a bit more than mind over matter. It usually requires a change in actions.
I wouldn’t say I was a particularly fearful person when it comes to physical things or even challenging circumstances, but I do often find making big decisions, knowing what to do next, or believing I can make a difference more difficult. I am often fearful of not doing or saying the right thing, or making the wrong decision. Sometimes it feels easier and safer to do nothing different at all!
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Nelson Mandela
Despite feeling afraid we have to make a conscious decision to do it anyway; and that’s courage. It’s not just about but physical bravery, but becomes a choice to take a personal risk. Maybe to speak up for something we believe in; to give to a cause which means we go without something; to make one change in our routine which takes a step towards fulfilling a personal dream or goal.
This reminds me of when Jesus came to the disciples walking on the water and calls to Peter to come and join him on the water. There must have been that moment where Peter held his breath and he decided to counteract his fear with courage. Was he afraid? Most certainly. But he went ahead anyway. Perhaps he wasn’t so confident about his own ability to walk on water but of Jesus’ ability to walk on water. One of our Hub church values is to live courageously. If it was easy to do we wouldn’t be so bothered about it! But to live the life we dream of we need to be courageous and to be courageous we need to allow Jesus to walk with us.
Take a moment to think about an area of your life where you’ve been putting something off because of fear. How can you take a step of courage, of faith, of allowing Jesus to walk with you in it?
You are for us
You are not against us
Champion of Heaven
You made a way for all to enter in”
If I can help you with any of this, I am here to love you and serve you. Just get in touch, just click HERE.
This week’s HubKids has lots more fun activities to do as a family and looks at the same theme. It’s a great chance to find new ways of connecting together. You can find the activities and what you need to do them HERE
CLICK HERE to find the Sunday video on YouTube
Useful Local Community Information Update
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