Courage

Courage is a difficult thing to muster because in order to do so we must let go of our fear. Fear of being involved. Fear of being rejected. Fear of being wrong. The child of fear, meaning that courage comes when we are able to move beyond or through our fears. This concept is often underestimated as we think about people’s “big” fears but what about the fear of conflict, for those of us who are peacemakers? That fear, if not confronted, creates its own problems as do all situations that require courage when it cannot be found. I see parents who fear upsetting their child or being wrong in parenting and instead of mustering courage they are left with the choice of being passive. They give in to the fear. Unfortunately, this may be especially true for today’s fathers. I believe there is a spiritual battle for men to reject passivity and take on responsibility. It takes courage to be a parent and enforce rules. However, our culture is now seeing the product of second and third generation fatherless (or absentee) parenting. I have the joy of watching as parents begin to face the fear and take the courage necessary to make changes. These are the fears that require incredible courage that as counselors we must remember are just as powerful and critical as diagnosable fears like agoraphobia.