Courage Is a Decision

If you're easily offended, then this post is probably not for you.  Why?  Simply because I'm going to be encouraging, and based on my recent interactions on FaceBook (many with churchy folks), being encouraging is now offensive.  Oh, the irony...or stupidity.

First lets look at the word PERSPECTIVE which seems to set the average person off.  I've really no idea why that is a trigger word.   There are several definitions to perspective one relating to art, one relating to sound and then the definition to which I'm referring.

Perspective:  a particular attitude toward, or way of regarding something, point of view. Synonyms for perspective are outlook, standpoint, view, position, stand.

Not everyone is the same, and I get that.  But you will look at things from the perspective of your personality.   Some people are more prone to an emotional and/or fear based response to things; some are all rainbows and unicorns and think everything is just sunshine and roses ignoring potential issues;  others are more logical and fact driven. While not all inclusive, the majority of people fall into those three main categories.

Those who are more emotional/fear based will look at things from "worst case scenario" and try to share their fear with others. Those who are all rainbows and unicorns will ignore the facts and possibilities and go to the beach anyway, ahem.   Those who are more fact based will look at the overall situation and information available and speak from a more neutral point of view.

Those first two categories are NOT the people you want leading you, nor are they the people you should be blindly following.  Fear mongers will cause you to shrink back and retreat from your position, leaving you in the victim position. Those rainbow and unicorn people will cause you to act selfishly and stupidly and lead you and others into dire situations.  Those category three leaders who are logical and fact based will tell you straight up "there's a problem, here's what we know, and this is the outcome we're working towards."  

I fall into category #3.  Fear is not something I typically wrestle with, and anyone who has been around me for 60 seconds will tell you that I am not a rainbows and unicorns kind of gal.   However, like any good leader, when I look at the facts and present them, I'll also encourage you that while it may not be good at the moment, we can get through it.

"Fear is a reaction - courage is a decision."  ~Winston Churchill~

For example, in 2018 when Olivia and I traveled to Haiti, all hell broke loose while we were there. We were in the epicenter of the rioting, the murdering and the burning.  I prayed, I helped the leaders of our group formulate an action plan based on where we were, what we could access and set things in place that helped further secure our location and our likelihood of staying safe.  The leaders of our group came to me and told me how glad they were to have me there during that time, because I kept everyone calm and focused on the goal...to live and to get home.  There was no scurrying around wide eyed, there was no "We're all going to die!"   When another missions group took refuge with us, we quickly had to squelch the fear they brought with them.  We walked in peace, the God kind of peace that passes all understanding.

The opportunity to give into fear was great.  We CHOSE to not allow fear to get a foothold.  We CHOSE to trust that God's promises for our protection were true and that He would never leave us or forsake us.  That's not an easy choice when you're in a third world country, with your 16 year old daughter, and you're looking eyeball to eyeball with a man in a mask, holding a rifle and setting fire to things around you. But it's when things are hard that you have to make hard choices and believe Him and take Him at His word.   The few times I was able to communicate back home to my husband, my words were always "All is well."  

So, here we are in the COVID-19 pandemic.   The media is shoving the "we're all going to die" pill down the throats of America and the world.  I do not deny that there's a virus.  I do not deny that people are dying, and I certainly do not think any of those deaths are trivial. Every life has value, and every loss matters.

However, I'm a logical, look at the facts person.  In Virginia, on March 27 there were a total of 604 confirmed cases of the virus.   With the current Virginia population being 8,626,207 that averages out to only 0.00007 percent of Virginians having the virus at that time.   When looking at those statistics, Virginians should have been encouraged to know that despite schools being closed for the rest of the year, all activities closed indefinitely and all churches (for the most part) having closed and gone to live streaming...a very small portion of the population is sick.

Posting that there are currently 7 BILLION people in the world who are not infected set off a firestorm of epic proportions.  Why??  Because fear produces fear...and anything that goes contrary to fear is met with anger (which is just fear in disguise).   Fear is a bully.

I challenge you to take a stand against fear.  Guard yourself against allowing the fear filled world to engulf you. Disconnect from things that feed your fear. Hookup to things that feed your faith.  Shield your children from the fear of the world.  Be their safe harbor in the midst of the storm.  If you're an online presence, then post ONE THING TODAY that promotes peace. (Be prepared for people to not like it, but don't let that stop you.)  Then do it again tomorrow.

Never stop fighting the good fight, and remember, a good fight is the one YOU WIN!