Living Courageously

What does courage mean to you?

Dictionary.com defines courage as “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc.”

In my view, real courage is much more than the preparedness or a plan to be brave, committed, and resolved in one’s convictions.  It’s about action – what someone actually does (or doesn’t do) when it matters most. 

As you may know, I work with Dr. James Dobson.  The experience has been one of the great honors of my professional career.  The truth be told, when I accepted this assignment I had no idea how much I would learn not only from his expertise and body of work, but by watching him live.  Time and time again, I witness Dr. Dobson display great courage as he stays the course, promoting the biblical principles of parenting and marriage.  All too often this puts him under personal attack - his service, his heart, his intentions and his character are all called into question.  Flat out lies and hate speech are publicly flung his way.  And yet, the man transcends these attacks. 

I wish you could see what I’ve seen day-to-day.  The tireless work ethic.  The dedication.  The love this man has for families, for his own family, and for the Lord.  You get a sense for it in Dr. Dobson’s books, but I can tell you – it’s not just theory.  He is the real deal and we are all very lucky to have him as he stands for the family.

Challenge: Especially as parents, we each need copious amounts of courage.  We are blessed to have a handful of men and women in our midst who model what it really means to be courageous Christians.  We would be wise to pay attention.

****

“This, then, is our goal as parents: we must not transfer power too early, even if our children take us daily to the battlefield.  Mothers who make that mistake are some of the most frustrated people on the face of the earth.  On the other hand, we must not retain parental power too long, either. Control will be torn from our grasp if we refuse to surrender it voluntarily. The granting of self-determination should be matched stride for stride with the arrival of maturity, culminating with complete release during early adulthood.”  Dr. James Dobson, from Parenting Isn’t For Cowards.