Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mary Anne Radmacher
An old legend out of India tells the story of a little mouse who was terrified of cats, so he found a magician to turn him into a cat. Everything was fine until he ran into a huge dog, so he asked the magician to turn him into a dog. That worked well until the mouse-turned-into-cat-turned-into-dog encountered a tiger. So once again the magician turned him into the thing he feared---a tiger. But when the tiger came complaining that he had met a hunter, the magician refused to help him. Instead he told the "tiger" that he was going to turn him back into a mouse because "Even though you have the body of a tiger, you have the heart of a mouse."
Courage---real courage---is an outgrowth of who we are. Sure, we can build up a formidable exterior, make a show of force. We can stockpile wealth, acquire more stuff, dress differently, seek security in things and appearances, but if we're still trembling with fear on the inside, we haven't really accomplished much. These external supports may hold us up for a while, but only the power of inward character will lead to real courage. Dig deep.
Late yesterday afternoon, our fellow OBer, @Texhunter7 posted a prayer request for his teenage son, Hunter, who's having brain surgery tomorrow. If you're a person who prays, this might be a good time. Many of us here at TG have known the angst of having a child or grandchild who is facing serious illness. It helps to know you're not alone when it comes time to "try again tomorrow."
Be of good cheer and much courage,
NT
1 John 1: 5-9
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mary Anne Radmacher
An old legend out of India tells the story of a little mouse who was terrified of cats, so he found a magician to turn him into a cat. Everything was fine until he ran into a huge dog, so he asked the magician to turn him into a dog. That worked well until the mouse-turned-into-cat-turned-into-dog encountered a tiger. So once again the magician turned him into the thing he feared---a tiger. But when the tiger came complaining that he had met a hunter, the magician refused to help him. Instead he told the "tiger" that he was going to turn him back into a mouse because "Even though you have the body of a tiger, you have the heart of a mouse."
Courage---real courage---is an outgrowth of who we are. Sure, we can build up a formidable exterior, make a show of force. We can stockpile wealth, acquire more stuff, dress differently, seek security in things and appearances, but if we're still trembling with fear on the inside, we haven't really accomplished much. These external supports may hold us up for a while, but only the power of inward character will lead to real courage. Dig deep.
Late yesterday afternoon, our fellow OBer, @Texhunter7 posted a prayer request for his teenage son, Hunter, who's having brain surgery tomorrow. If you're a person who prays, this might be a good time. Many of us here at TG have known the angst of having a child or grandchild who is facing serious illness. It helps to know you're not alone when it comes time to "try again tomorrow."
Be of good cheer and much courage,
NT
1 John 1: 5-9
