What is the most courageous thing you think you can do?
This past week I’ve had several conversations and a coaching session around courage. And one person shared that he needed to do something really crazy courageous. As I asked him why, he thought that he needed to challenge himself in a way that would get him out of his comfort zone. While I agreed that getting out of his comfort zone was a good thing, I also challenged him to consider something deeply courageous that was practical: to love the unlovable.
He didn’t bite. He wanted outrageous, and sexy. He wanted something that would get noticed.
In today’s world, it’s easy to assume that courage is about doing things that are off the charts. Courage is taking on bank robbers, entering a burning building, or visiting the moon. And while each of these things does require courage, for the most part, they are out of the realm of every day life. Even the firefighter only visits a fire 1-2 times a month. So how do we display courage in an every day world?
What if courage is found in the act of love?
We all have our comfort zones, those little spaces of relationship that only a few people can get inside. We think anyone can get it. But the moment someone enters, we’re likely to usher him or her out, into the safe confines of an arms distance. Love requires the courage to see a larger kingdom, one that is inclusive, inviting, and might even produce some irritation. It requires seeing that there are no boundaries.
We like our boundaries because they provide the false comfort that they will protect us. But once we build a wall to protect us, we build a wall that imprisons us. And sometimes we even find ourselves outside of our own circle. When Jesus called us to love, it was for our own sake. It was for the sake of our own restoration. To love, to tear down the walls that keep us from engaging relationship, meant tearing down our own obstacles to healing and life.
Love is courageous because people can hurt us. When we leave our protective barriers down, we run the risk of people stepping into our comfort zones, or worse, inflicting damage. But what if the intrusions aren’t really about the irritation, but instead our inability to love when it really matters. Every relationship provides an opportunity to love.
People always ask me how far love should go. And I always ask back, “How far do you want love to go for you?” If we examine Jesus as a courageous life, he was willing to stretch out his arms and say, “This is how far I will go to show you that you are worth it to me.” Jesus lived a courageous life because he was willing to take on love even unto death. But in doing so, he got to experience resurrection.
How are you choosing to love today?
———————————————————————
Coaching Offer: Are you living to your fullest potential? Are you stuck behind an obstacle you just can’t seem to overcome? Are you wrestling with anger, frustration with work, or family and long for a deeper, more meaningful experience with life. Consider Leadership In Life, a life coaching program for those who want more out of daily living. Call me today at 916.952.0934 or email me and receive a free half hour introductory session to explore your story, desires, hopes and dreams.
