Courage

How many of you, as children, had the dream of being a superhero? Think about it. Because really, how cool would it be to be a superhero? I remember as a child dressing up in a costume my mom made and pretending I was helping save the world.  Isn’t there something intriguing about those who are all-powerful and can rescue a person who is being threatened? As a kid watching cartoons I am sure many of us had this dream. And, if we were really honest, many of us would have to admit that we still imagine what it would be like to be the hero or bring justice to the world.

One of my favorite superheroes is Batman. One of the coolest things about Batman is that he is an ordinary person just like you and me. He was different from the rest of the superheroes because he had no incredible superpower, he was just an ordinary person who decided he was going to fight injustice. With his creativity and innovation he came up with some ways to be who he needed to be and show courage to a generation.

Even thought we will never excel to the height of being a “superhero” there is a sense in which we are all called everyday to do heroic things. The truth is that sometimes life requires us to step out of our comfort zone and do something that is right--something that calls for an extra dose of courage.

My brother and me pretending to be superheroes.
I am wearing the yellow cape.

But here is the question we all have to wrestle with: where does the power or strength come from to do the heroic things we are called to do? We aren’t superheroes who posses unique power that comes from some alien planet or through some strange quirk of science gone awry. Where does the courage come from that sometimes requires us to stand up or speak out? The truth is fear can be a very real ad crippling thing. And the truth is that as leaders and parents we do not want our kids to grow up being paralyzed by fear that will keep them from achieving certain things in life or accomplishing what God has called them to do. We must somehow equip our kids to do the right thing even though they are afraid. That’s why we define courage as being brave enough to do what you should do even when you’re afraid. I think fear is a normal response that many of us deal with day to day but the real issue is where does the strength come from which allows us to overcome our fear? When does the need to be courageous become so great that it overshadows the thing that paralyzes us? Ultimately as parents, it is our goal to raise up a generation who understands a principle or truth that will allow them to face the world with a different kind of courage.

Our goal as parents is to raise everyday heroes, not superheroes--to raise a generation who realize that there will be times when they need to stand up against the bully; speak out for the sake of others who do not have a voice; or simply refuse to do the wrong thing even though the crowd seems to be going that direction. In doing that we are helping them realize that they have a source of power and strength as believers that sets them apart. As believers they can hold firm to the simple truth found in the book of Psalms that says, “When I’m afraid I will trust in you” (Psalms 56:3). There are going to be times when we, as mere human mortals, are timid about doing the right thing, taking the stand, or speaking out, but when we trust in a power that is greater than we are, we can have the strength, the resolve and the courage to do the right thing.

This month in children’s worship we will begin to examine some ordinary men and women who had no “superpowers” but understood that God had a mission for them and their lives and would equip them with the courage that they needed to get the job done. Belief in God does not mean bad things will not come our way or that we will never be afraid, but our kids need to realize that when bad things come our way, and they will, God is with us, helping us along the way. Courage is deciding that even though I am afraid I can know God is there and I can do the right thing anyway.

Patience

I am sure many of us can remember those days as a child when summer vacation was approaching, when Christmas was right around the corner and the days to our birthdays drew nearer and nearer.   For some reason, kids don’t need a calendar to be reminded that their birthday is approaching--they somehow sense it and with each passing day their anticipation builds.  Preparation for their birthday begins to preoccupy their every thought.  What should the theme be?  Who will be invited? What flavor cake will be have?   Should we have ice cream too? Will it be an overnight party?  What presents will I get?  Our kids become impatient with preparing for their big day.  They just can’t wait to see what’s inside those wrapped presents, to eat that awesome cake and have fun with all their friends who attend the party.

As adults I am not sure many of us are much better at being patient than our kids.  While it may not be our birthdays we become preoccupied with, maybe it is our upcoming vacation or the announcement of that next big bonus at work.  Having patience is hard.  None of us wants to wait until later for anything.  We crave instant satisfaction.

All month long in children’s worship we are going to unpack the idea of patience and what it means to reflect the character of God. We will not only look at how patience affects the kind of decisions we make, but also at how patience plays into the way we treat other people.  We are going to define patience as, waiting until later for what you want now.  In other words, we are going to try to help children learn the value of delayed gratification and realize that the God who is patient with them is in the process of developing this same characteristic in their lives. 

Patience is kind of like making old-fashioned homemade ice cream.  Think about all the effort that goes into making this delicious treat.  You start with all the ingredients—the milk, eggs, vanilla and the ice.  All the ingredients go together into a container and the lid is put on….and, then, the waiting begins.  You just have to sit there while the ingredients mix together and, with time, become the wonderful sweet frozen treat we all love.  You can’t rush the process.  You can’t just open up the container when you are ready.  No, you have to wait until the ingredients become mixed and frozen to create the final product.  You can’t hurry it along.  No matter how impatient you are the ice cream will not be ready until it is time to be ready.

You have to be patient to wait on the end result.  We all know in the end it will be worth the wait.  But we have to be patient.  God seems to prove his patience as we learn more about the world he created.  We can’t rush the changing of the seasons, the growing of a tree or the development of character that is being nurtured in our kids.  We can try to rush these things but ultimately we only become frustrated by our own lack of patience as God’s world grows and works in His time.

Join us this month as we see the value of God’s idea of patience. Pray that God would help us as we patiently become the people He wants us to be.