Inspiration:
Sorrow prepares you for joy.
It violently sweeps everything out of your house,
so that new joy can find space to enter.
It shakes the yellow leaves
from the bough of your heart,
so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place.
It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath
have room to grow.
Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart,
far better things will take their place.”
― Rumi
Spiritual Courage
Courage and bravery, in my view, are not necessarily the same thing. Bravery, as I understand it, suggests a kind of fearlessness. Brave people face danger willingly, even eagerly, for they are not afraid.
But courage is different. Courage is less about fear and more about something deeper, something, I think, that has to do with one’s spirit or soul. Courage is doing the right thing, even in the face of those who tell us we are crazy or stupid. Courage is taking a stand and living with it. Courage is also about growth: about a willingness to change one’s mind if that is the right thing to do. A brave person may fight when called upon. A courageous person may choose not to fight even if it means certain death.
by Barbara Wells Ten Hove, Co-Minister, Cedars Unitarian Universalist Church, Bainbridge Island, Washington TO READ MORE