Ground Hog Day. Is he too scared to come out of his hole, afraid he'll see his shadow? What are we afraid of? Failure? Rejection? Losing? Pain? Reputation? Image? Intimacy? Relationship? Accountability? Responsibility? Attention? Involvement? Shame? I believe Jesus really knew our weaknesses. He experienced them. He modeled how to overcome them. He was our example of "The Man", displaying courage along the way. Courage to come as a baby, fragile and limited. Courage to resist temptation and represent the truth. Courage to not be concerned with His reputation or false witnesses. Courage to face demons. Courage to be compassionate and show love for His people. Courage to accomplish His purpose. Courage to deal with the problem of sin. Courage to provide The Way for us to be forever connected...to name but a few.
"We were meant to be courageous!" by Casting Crowns, is about being "The Man", being one that will love and represent truth as a leader. I embrace this as exactly what God is trying to en-courage us to be. How? We can do this by the power of His Spirit. "For God did not give us a Spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline" (2Tim1:7). So I reject this movement of passivity, where men and women are weak in their engaging and leadership. He has designed us in His image: the image of strength, power, wisdom, courage, compassion, and the complete complement of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galations. We can do this. He's counting on us to do this. He wants to change the world by us being this. Can you dig it?
So what are you afraid of? Don't you want to really live while you have a chance? Don't you want to really believe and be a part of something bigger than yourself? Don't you want to overcome and be "The Man"? I believe everyone, deep down, wants to be the winner. You can sense it in the movie theaters, where everyone in the audience is pulling for the "good guy". People are designed with the eternal hope that "Good Wins". They want it to be true in their own lives, and they want to see it in the movies. Does anyone pull for the Bad Guy? No, we want to be the Good Guy and we want to win. It's a real deal. Unfortunately, we also are behind enemy lines in a world that is not full of "friendlies". Further, we are living in a fallen world, one that has fallen short of its potential and original design. "Psst...(a whisper) He never said it would be easy!" God is saying we can make a difference in spite of these odds stacked against us. We can win in the ultimate reality show of our life!
So what are you waiting for? If you see an opportunity, take that first step, like Peter when he was called out of the boat to walk on the stormy seas. That had never been done before. Scared? There is change, healing, victory, life, and love beyond our fears. May His spirit give you the courage to overcome your fear and join Him in being The Man.
