Sunday, February 23, 2020

Dauntless...

Have you ever thought of yourself as "dauntless?"  The very definition is quite interesting!  Being dauntless is being brave, daring, fearless, intrepid, bold - not to be intimidated!  Can you imagine in today's world being dauntless???

We all seem to have so many fears and insecurities.  Anxiety wreaks havoc on our minds and hearts each day!  I meet young people my son's age (24 years) and am amazed (and not in a good way) how often and how many of these young generation have panic attacks and their anxiety level is off the richterscale!  Their intensity of anxiety is 100 on a scale of 1-10 - it's like an internal earthquake!!

Perhaps we have lost the idea of being dauntless.  Where are the heroes of this age?  Where are the brave? What happened to the idea of being gallant?  When was the last time you witnessed someone being noble?  True?  Displaying integrity?  Being exceptionally polite or even chivalrous???  Ahhhh....it has been a very long time since I have witnessed someone displaying these qualities of character.

BUT....there IS hope!!!

Listen to what Billy Graham wrote in his book:  Hope for Each Day:
"In the face of opposition and overwhelming odds, the early Christians stayed courageous, bold, dauntless, and full of faith.  They lived their lives daily for Christ, no matter what others thought.  They gladly suffered scorn, persecution, and even death for their faith in Christ."

OH - that's it:  Full of faith!!!  The early Christians had FAITH!!!  And, they were full of faith... not just a little bit, but FULL to the brim!!!  WOW!

How can we become dauntless in an age such as this time in our world?  We can become full of faith once again.  We can believe in the One True God and rely on Him and Him alone!!!  We, as a society have become whimpy - fearful instead of fearless.  We have lost our faith.  We  have lost the noble cause to believe in and live for Jesus Christ, The Son of the Living God.

Think about it:  Selfishness, self-sufficiency and rudeness have become the norm.

Surrendering or submitting to a Power Greater than ourselves has become a thing of the past.  It's out of the question to surrender or submit!  Our attitudes and lives shout:  "Surrender?  Submit? Are you nuts?  I am in control."  "No one can tell me what to do" permeates our culture and our world.

Respect and integrity.  Where are those qualities in this world?  Respecting authority is a thing of the past as well.  We see if everyday in our work places, our schools, our families, and our government.  When will we learn???  When will we turn the tide?  It's a storm that is crashing our shores every day.

So, I have to ask you:  When will we decide to become dauntless again?  When will we be willing to be brave and fearless and to stand up for our faith?  When will we stand up for what is right?  Noble?  True?  When will we be bold enough to stand for integrity when it is melting all around us???

I believe it will be when we allow our faith to move mountains.  When we have faith the size of a Mustard Seed.   When we put our trust in the One True God who has carried us to this day.  When we have Him on our side, we have an Army of Angels on our side.  We have Chariots of Fire!!!

We will become fearless and brave when we are willing to stand for Christ once again.  Be bold!!! Tell others about your faith.  Tell them why it's important to stand up for what is right and true and honest.  Tell them how your faith CAN move mountains.  Tell your children, tell your grandchildren, tell your neighbors, tell your co-workers, tell your friends!!!  Be bold!!  Be fearless!!  Be brave!!  Be daring!!!

Be DAUNTLESS and stand for faith in Christ!!!

Philippians 4:13 says:  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Being Willing....

Being willing........what does that mean to you?  Does it mean you would do anything anyone told you to do?  Certainly not!  But, in this crazy world of ours anxiety is on the rise and relationships are waning because no one is willing to compromise, work through an issue to resolve it, or take the time to really get to know another person.  And, it shows in our society: broken relationships, bullying, people living together instead of getting married, divorce at an all time high, gun violence, suicide on the rise, low self-esteem, and anxiety everywhere!!!

So, what does "being willing" mean?  For whatever it's worth, this is what it means to me...
Being willing to create a healthy environment for myself to grow and learn and explore - yes explore who I am and why I think, act and feel the way I do.
Being willing to "get healthy" emotionally, physically, mentally, financially and spiritually.
Being willing to accept ourselves and others - flaws and all - without guilt, blame, shame or regret.
Being willing to yield to God's call on our life...
Being willing to acknowledge what I am really good at and what I am not good at and be okay with that!
Being willing to change and try something new - especially when what I've been doing isn't working well!
Being willing to look for and acknowledge our talents, gifts and abilities and use them for good.
Being willing to communicate to another person whom I am in a relationship with: 
1)  At home with family - brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandparents and parents.
2) At work - co-workers, bosses, managers, employees, volunteers, etc.
3) At church - fellow church members, visitors, those seeking to learn about God, pastors, leaders, etc.
4) At school - fellow school mates, teachers, principals, administrators, and janitors!
5) In love - learning to understand the other person and give them space to grow and make mistakes as well as being caring, giving, gracious and kind - on all levels!
Being willing to communicate the good, the bad and  the pretty (and the not so pretty) part of ourselves to create an environment of understanding, compromise and a safe place to be vulnerable.
Being willing to be vulnerable to accept the other person and ourselves just as we are!
Being willing to communicate openly, honestly and directly.
Being willing to let go of our own agenda and allow a relationship to grow in a healthy manner - not trying to "fix" another person or manipulate them into being what we want them to be.
Being willing to love with open arms and open hearts....and if (when) we get hurt in the process, to realize we gave our very best and it's okay that it did not work out!
Being willing on the highway - allow another car to get onto or off the freeway with plenty of room, following at a safe distance, putting down my phone and NOT texting, going the speed limit, driving safely and soberly.
Being willing to grow...
Being willing to learn...
Being willing to have courage to NOT beat ourselves up!
Being willing to say No or Yes honestly and mean it.
Being willing to be gentle with ourselves and others....
Being willing to let go of being "right" all the time.

Being willing is an enormous task!  It tears down all the walls and allows growth to occur.  Being willing allows a person to "blossom" as my mom used to say!
Being willing is a worthwhile endeavor and a lovely way to learn and apply healthy behaviors to our lives!!!
Being willing can make or break every attitude you have towards life, yourself and other people.
If you haven't been very willing, then start!  
Become willing and you will see a tremendous breakthrough in your life!!!