“Do something that won’t compute. Love the Lord. Love the world.”  Wendell Berry

The Courage of Stepping Up

The Courage of Stepping Up

Dec 27, 2020

A barricade of poles appeared on the steep part of the trail where I walked. I had seen a lot of odd things in these woods, but never had someone put logs in my way.

I wasn’t about to go around the poles just because someone put them there. And, stepping over was hard. For three days I grumbled to myself as I climbed, having to lift my foot high to step over the poles. On the fourth day, I didn’t lift my foot high enough, so I stepped down on the poles.

I realized that I had been making a mistake. Certainly, complaining was a mistake. But my whole view was off. Probably because I didn’t like someone interfering with my trail, I liked it how it was. My attitude clouded my eyes.

When I stepped down on the poles, I realized this wasn’t a barrier to make it harder.

This was a step.

It actually made the climb up or down easier and safer. Why didn’t I see it sooner?

I wonder how often I see things as barriers, as trouble, and they are really steps to help me get up or down. I wonder how the way I look at things makes them hard when they could be for good.

Isn’t it this way with most problems? We really do learn from them, which then helps us take the next step even better.

Or fears. When we step right up to those things we are afraid of, instead of going over them or around them, we build courage for the next time and begin to look at obstacles as opportunities. We grow and learn that obstacles help make us who we are, for good. And, our example as we encounter problems influences others, especially our children.

Our children need to see problems and fears as opportunities to grow and make a difference, not something to high step over or find a way around. Grumbling and avoiding only bring us down. Seeing obstacles as opportunities takes us higher.

Is it an obstacle or an opportunity?

Courage is built by taking one step at a time.

Grumbling or giving in keeps our children from learning that they can step up, that things do work out, that God won’t try them beyond what they can endure. That He is with them, now and in the future.

Grumbling or giving in keeps us from becoming who God wants us to be and from what He wants us to do.

Let’s see poles as steps, not barriers.

Courage, The First Virture

Courage, The First Virture

Dec 22, 2020

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality.”  C.S. Lewis in Screwtape Letters

A few years ago, John Stonestreet (of the Chuck Colson Center and Summit Ministries) shared with our faculty. As John helped us better understand biblical worldview, he landed on the importance of courage in the lives of our children: “Dreams do not determine destiny; decisions determine destiny.” It is courage that moves dreams and beliefs to decisions and action.

Here are some of Stonestreet’s comments:

  • Being human means to be courageous, not just know truth but courageous to use it.
  • To raise children to make right decisions and not just know the truth requires courage: “It is by his deeds that a lad makes himself known if his conduct is pure and right” (Proverbs 20:11).
  • In the classic virtues, courage allowed the others to exist.
  • Children want to be courageous and we offer them video games.
  • A biblical worldview makes the right decision when in a tough spot, which takes courage.
  • A biblical worldview is not just thought out but is lived out.
  • A biblical worldview is not primarily expressed but embodied.

How do we create courage?   Stonestreet suggests:

  • Be aware that everything we do is forming children’s souls; all education is worldview shaping.
  • Teach habits. He quotes Aristotle: “So it is a matter of no little importance what sort of habits we form from the earliest age–it makes a vast difference, or rather all the difference in the world.”
  • Shift from entitlement to responsibility.
  • Teach children to leave things better than they found them.
  • Give children words to use in tough moments.

From the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, John explained how we can create courage in our children. In Dawn Treader, Eustace is a boy with no “chest,” a boy who has not trained his emotions and is a victim of his feelings. He knows about ships but has never been on one.  He has never been taught about dragons!

Stonestreet says that children should know two things about dragons: 1. They exist. 2. They can be beaten.

In Dawn Treader, help comes from an unlikely source. Reepicheep, the mouse, has courage. He mentors Eustace. He helps Eustace by stripping away the dragon flesh and shows that Eustace has grown a chest. We need to mentor our children to defeat dragons. And, celebrate their courage.

Stonestreet says that our children must:

1. Know what is true and good (not just right from wrong).
2. Practice what is true and good (weight lifters don’t get strong without the practice of lifting weights).
3. Learn and practice repentance, a way to actively follow Jesus with courage instead of being passive.

We need to teach our children how to defeat dragons. We need to put them on boats and teach courage so they can put ideas into action. Thanks to John for his thoughts.