You Are God's Best Idea!
Daily Epigram for:
February 28, 2012
"It
takes courage to recognize there's nothing to fear."-Douglas Holzmeier
While taking a walk in my neighborhood - I saw a
fortune cookie on the ground, still in its wrapper. I like fortune cookies -
not that I was going to eat it - but I was curious what the fortune was. I
figured - this is like picking up a lucky penny only with words and lottery
numbers. I removed the wrapper - cracked open
the cookie and this is what it said: It takes courage to lead a life. Any
life.
I
don't live my life based on fortune cookie philosophy - but Truth is Truth -
regardless of where it comes from. And this was an unusual fortune. It could
have stopped after the first sentence - but it added - Any life - to make it
clear that you will need courage. And notice it says - lead a life - not just live
a life. All of us are living our lives - but how many of us are leading
our lives? And if we are not leading with courage - what are we leading
with?
Heretofore
- I've not been a fan of the word courage. I've only written two
epigrams with the word courage in them prior to today. They are: A
person without courage is like a pair of shoes without feet - neither step out
of their box.
And:
An act of courage cures discouragement.
At
first blush - courage seems counter to metaphysics. Meta-physicians tend to
emphasize faith. If you place faith first -
fear disappears. This is true - but what is also true is
that I've never worn the uniform of a soldier and gone into battle - dodging
bullets with the understanding that at any moment my life could be over. That
takes a kind of courage I've never had to call upon and it is one that has my
admiration and respect.
The
kind of courage I am more familiar with is called gumption. My mother would
often refer to my gumption when I would step out of my comfort zone and do
something surprising. I have used gumption to accomplish just
about everything I've ever done. It doesn't take courage to be a radio air
personality or write a book. It does require having enough faith in yourself to
think people will like what you have to say and write. One of my favorite movie
characters is the fictional Forrest Gump. In the book and the
movie - Forrest Gump achieves great things - despite his alleged shortcomings.
He becomes an All-American football player - a Vietnam War hero - Ping-Pong
champion - and runs coast-to-coast seven times. I've wondered whether Winston
Groom - the author of the Gump books - purposely called Forrest - Gump - to
denote the amount of gumption he uses to circumvent his 75 IQ.
A
synonym for courage is bravery. Additional synonyms are adventurous - audacity
- determination - firmness - fortitude - gallantry - guts - heroism - mettle -
nerve - pluck - resolution - tenacity - and valor. I like and identify with
many of these words but there is something about courage - that is just a
little more significant. Courage suggests that you are in imminent danger. I
can't say that I have been in imminent danger. Well - I almost died in a choking
incident - but I wasn't using courage to survive - it was my wife administering
the Heimlich maneuver that saved my life. Some day - I may need real courage to
face a surgery where a large part of my body is opened up. I know I will be
counting on the collective courage of loved ones in case that ever happens.
The
reason I'm broaching the subject of courage today is because it is just a
little too easy to write and talk about overcoming fear - with faith - and
poverty - with a prosperity consciousness - because these are not life and
death circumstances. As a reader of mine - I want you to know that it is normal
to be afraid about the well-being of a loved one who is facing life-threatening
circumstances. Just last week - a friend of mine lost her 33 year-old son in a
snowmobile accident. This is real life and real pain and all I could do for her
was love and embrace her - and that is what I did. During our hug she said to
me - "hugs are good, they're better than
words "- as if she knew exactly what I was feeling and offering. You
need to lease courage to bury a child.
I'm
not recommending living life with a puffed out chest and the roar of a lion.
That isn't courage. Courage is defined in the dictionary as the quality of mind
or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, and pain - without
fear. I don't agree. I believe that true courage is facing what you fear - and
doing it anyway - because you know the results will be improved for having done
so. You don't need the roar of a lion - but the heart of a lion. Interestingly
- the origin of the word courage comes from the Old French word cuer
- which means heart.
The
impoverished heart is the scourge of the sovereign. When you listen to your
heart - you engage the Divine. You are not alone. Your
heart is a living center in which the love of God flows. In the Bible - the
word courageous is most often coupled with - strong. Put your strength in the
Power that is back of all things. Faith knows that the Power of Love is greater
than the combined illusions of fear.
You Are God's Best Idea!
~Douglas Holzmeier
Author of You Are
God's Best Idea! Divine Acceptations and Living the Undeniable Life! (Balboa
Press/Hay House)
If you are seeking a
Life Coach who can give you direction; inspiration; motivation and treat you
like the star you are – call me at 509-302-1022
No comments:
Post a Comment