Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Courage!

Cowardly Lion: Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got?

Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man: Courage! 

Cowardly Lion: You can say that again!


Now, being that I'm from Kansas you may think it cliche that I just quoted a scene from The Wizard of Oz but the poor ol' Cowardly Lion and I have something in common; We ain't got courage!

This past week I have encountered again and again my lack of courage. The abscence of bravery in my life has severely limited me at times and made me miss out on taking chances and risks that could have made all the difference.

Upon looking up the word courage in the back of my giant King James Version study bible, I found one passage that spoke to me the most; "Arise for this matter is your responsibility...Be of good courage, and do it." Ezra 10:4 NKJV

One of the biggest issues I have had with being brave is taking responsibility for my own failings, faults, and sometimes, even tasks that I know are mine but I lack the courage to do them.  The burden of courage is often scary, but I find myself compelled, even more so now, to lift those burdens off the backs of others and stake full claim on what is mine to do.

Do you sometimes feel afraid of the things that are yours to handle? Or afraid to own up to the things you've done wrong? God compels us to stand up and be courageous, because with Him on our side there is no need to have fear, especially when we are being courageous for the right things.

Today, I am going to be a bit more like the Scarecrow or the Tin Man, no, not missing a brain or a heart, but full of courage because I know that I am brave and for all the right reasons. No more cowardly lion! Time for Courage!


~ Angela
Posted by at

3 comments:

  1. Alida SharpAugust 17, 2011 at 4:10 PM

    I love the Wizard of Oz. And being from Kansas too this really speaks to me. I grew up thinking the Lion had more courage than I do because in the scene where he runs from the Wizard's blustering loud commands he jumps out a window. I could run but I couldn't jump out of that window! Courage is something that I have long struggled to slowly incorporate into my life.

    Thanks for your post...you gave me lots to think about!

    ReplyDelete
  2. loriAugust 17, 2011 at 4:32 PM

    LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this!! So glad you joined us today!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Karen Kyle EricsonAugust 17, 2011 at 4:55 PM

    This is so delightful! I love it. Thanks so much for posting it. How creative.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)