Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
Winston Churchill
The above quote was on the wall in the dining hall of the camp we stayed at this weekend. It got me thinking about courage. I remember when I used to believe that most of life was black and white. I believed that courage was displayed in certain ways and I tried to live that way. I then matured and learned that courage (and many other character attributes) look different for different people and also present quite different for the same person in different situations.
I continue to have to sort out in many conversations each day if it would be more courageous to stand up and speak or sit down and listen. I now understand the importance of mastering the art of discernment and then courageously acting on what my “gut” discerns….
And of course I have a few other favorites on courage….a great word to reflect on and an attribute that is pretty easy to find new ways to practice!
Go and live with great courage!
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
e. e. cummings
