When I was growing up, I had a pretty good idea of what courage was. In high school I read the book, Profiles in Courage. People would talk about heroes on the battlefield or leaders who would stand with principles against discrimination. We would read the history of people who remained true to their faith, even in the face of severe persecution and even death. We knew what courage meant.
However, in 2016, it is not so clear. We hear about individuals who make unwise and even sinful choices and we call it courage. Or perhaps an athlete who makes millions of dollars and catches a pass, even though he knows that a defender is barreling down upon him, and we label it courage.
But I want to focus for a moment on what courage might look like in your relationships. Some might believe that continuing to live with someone who is difficult, is an act of courage. Others may say that simply biting their tongue when embroiled in a nasty argument demonstrates courage. However, I want to suggest that true courage in a relationship requires a great deal more than just enduring or refraining from a particular behavior.
A friend of mine, Mark Skalberg wrote in a recent blog, “It takes courage to develop meaningful relationships, to self-disclose to be vulnerable and honest. It takes courage to not blame someone else for our stuff or to not self-justify our own actions when we have hurt others. It takes courage to recognize and do something about the blind spots we all have.”
Courage requires an active engagement on our part, addressing our own deficiencies, and doing the difficult things required to make our significant relationships work. My desire for all of us this week, is that we would strive to become courageous partners.