“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”
US President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, spoke these words and they speak to me of prioritizing. Yes, there may be fear about an action, or new idea, or some conflict, but there are priorities present for working through the problem.
Courage is not absence of fear, just deciding where to put it on your priority list. When something scares you, does the fear override your ability to make any other decision? If you can set the fear aside and say, “Yes, I see you there, Fear, but I am not going to give you my attention right now. I will deal with you at some point, but for now, Progress (or Healing or Hope or Schedule) is going to get my time,” it might give Courage time to enter.
October’s theme is Courage and we will look at many ways that we as individuals and as a congregation (or even our nation or world) overcomes Fear constantly to let Courage enter.
I invite you to consider Fear and all of its siblings—some are Reluctance, Resistance to Change, Loss of Control, Worry over Outcome, and Indecision—as something that must be recognized but can be set aside while you proceed.
Happy October, you Courageous people, you!
In peace, love, and Courage,
Rev. Amy