The Courage to do Hard Things

I love John 16:33 "Take Heart for I have Overcome the World". I have these words on a poster directly above my bed, and they're the first thing I see when I open my eyes. In one of my favorite books, Levi Lusko transformed this verse for me:

"It's interesting that [John] writes Take Heart, because heart is also translated as courageousness. So he is saying Take Courage. We generally think of courage as an emotion or attribute that you either have or don't. Not so. Jesus' command is for you to take it from His hand--as much as you need" (Levi Lusko). 

I've come up with a definition for bravery recently. Bravery is having the courage to do hard things. It can be letting Jesus pick you back up even though you've fallen a million and one times. Being on the outside who you are on the inside. Choosing to believe who Jesus says you are even when everything in you feels the opposite. Getting out of bed and doing something with your life, even when you have no energy. Deciding to trust God when your future is uncertain. Choosing to see what God says is there instead of what you see in front of you. Showing your flaws and scars, because there's a difference between a wound and a scars (a scar is healed and in fact made up of STRONGER tissue than before the injury), and there is ever so much grace. 

These hard things differ for everyone. Whatever they may be however, we cannot do them on our own. We can't muster up enough courage on our own. To have courage, we must take courage, take heart. Jesus is standing with His palms wide open, holding all the courage we'll ever need, and all we have to do is take it. 

So let's take it. Let's take heart and take courage. Let's be a brave generation full of world changers.

Through The Eyes of a Lion

My minute obsession with lions began my freshman year, on a retreat. Someone saw a vision for me during worship. They saw a lion who thought he was stuck in a cage, yet the doors were wide open and all he had to do to be free, was to walk out. I didn’t realize how prophetic that vision was, as years later, I would come to understand that vision and proceed to walk out of the cage. 

Then there was The Lion King. One day, I watched the Lion King three times with a sick cousin of mine. The parallels between the movie’s plot and the Gospel, blew me away, and still do to this day. And I’m sure we’ve all heard of Aslan, the Lion in the Chronicles of Narnia, who pretty much represents Jesus. 

But lions have become more important to me recently, because I am learning to see life through the eyes of one. 

Lions are 6 times better at processing light than humans. Lions can stretch their pupils 3 times more than we can. And get this, God painted that white stripe under their eyes, so they can maximize glare. So even in the dimness of the moonlight, lions can maximize the amount of light available to them. Lions don’t have access to more light than we do; They are just better at using it. I want to maximize the amount of light that I see. I want to see things that my rods and cones can’t see. I think so often, we see what is right in front of us: (our bodies wasting away day by day, our present troubles that seem to block that telescope of faith we have access to). But God is calling us to see what God says is there. So even though I see days of confusion and fogginess, God says He is my clarity. Even though I see death, God says He is the resurrection and life. Learning to see what God says is there, instead of what I see in front of me. 

Lions never walk on flat foot. They’re ALWAYS walking on their tiptoes. They are always ready to pounce at any moment. I want to walk on my tiptoes. When you’re on your tiptoes, you can see over things. You can see over the bad to get a peek at what’s around the River-bend. Because suffering is not an obstacle to keep God from using me; it’s an opportunity to be used by Him through it. Where there is impossible pain, God brings incredible power. God always uses suffering for His glory, so whenever I see pain, I want to get on my tiptoes to see past it, and think “I can’t wait to see what God will do through this.”

Lions hunt in groups. Lionesses hide in the bushes while the male lions give a huge roar that can be heard from 5 miles away (Ever wonder why lionesses don’t have a mane? They couldn’t camouflage themselves in the bushes if they did have one. What a lioness doesn’t have, equips her for what she’s called to do). When the prey hears that roar, they run....run straight into the trap where the lionesses are waiting. The prey runs straight towards their fear. I want to run straight towards my fear. Because fear is necessary for there to be faith. If there wasn’t risk or danger, we wouldn’t need faith. But victory only comes my friends, when we do the things that terrify us. 

So let’s start living like lions. Seeing beyond what’s in front of us by maximizing His light, living with expectation by walking on our tiptoes, and finding victory by running right towards our fears. 

                                                               Ps, it's temporary :)