Last Sunday, my four year old granddaughter and I were watching planes land and take off. It was a gorgeous sunny day with signs of early fall peeking through the leaves. As Emmie ran and played, she tripped and fell onto the paved road. I heard her knee hit the ground with a thud. Since Emmie rarely cries when she gets physically injured, I knew this one hurt as she sobbed into my chest. Her knee was bleeding and swollen.
Later, after we’d cleaned and dressed her wound, she said, “Gigi, I was brave and strong, right?” “Yes, honey.” I answered, “you were. It’s okay to cry. You can cry and still be brave and strong. Sometimes, Gigi cries too, but, at the end of the day, I’m still brave and strong with Jesus’ help.”
Mary Southerland writes:
No one would call George Smith a coward. Smith was a daring jet test pilot in the 1950’s when the sound barrier was first being broken. He could face anything – until he had to bail out of a jet going 805 miles per hour. Smith survived, but he was hospitalized for weeks. Smith shared his fear of ever flying again with one of the nurses who had become a friend. The nurse smiled and said, “I have an antidote to fear. It is courage. To have courage is to know the worst, and to discover that in God’s economy, the very worst can’t really hurt you.” The amount of courage one exhibits can be correlated to the amount of fear that is set aside in order to act. (Unknown Author)
Father God, I love Your economy! All through Your Word, You call us to be brave, strong, and courageous in trusting You no matter what circumstance we may face. Your resources are unlimited and all we do is make a choice to trust You to take the next step; even when we are afraid. Amen.
David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you before all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished. 1 Chronicles 28:20 NIV