REFLECTION: ‘Sooner or later in every human life, there comes a moment, a day or a season when it’s clear that only courage will see us through. This is part of the earthy reality of what it means to be human. And deciding to Choose Courageous in the face of immense difficulty is part of the key to discovering peace for ourselves, and thus key to the bringing of peace to the world around us. The ability to make this choice is deep within all of us. It’s not about having no fear. That would be unreal and foolish. Our sense of fear is there to protect us, and in some situations flight from fear is absolutely the right thing to do. The problem is that fear can begin to characterize how we view the world, everything that we do, and even what we become…’
PRACTICE: ‘The practice of Choose Courageous is about learning to accept our fear and finding what we need to continue along the good path that offers itself to us. Like most of the practices in Running Over Rocks this practice is grounded in self-awareness. Try to notice the next situation, choice or dilemma in which a courageous response might be an option for you. Catch yourself beginning to make a decision. Ask yourself: What might be the truly courageous option here? What might doing the right thing look like? And so may you Choose Courageous and may the world be changed…’
©Ian Adams 2013 ‘Running Over Rocks: spiritual practices to transform tough times’ (Canterbury Press)
Look out for short daily posts around the week’s theme on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll be doing the practices wherever we are, and we’ll look forward to hearing how you get on – do let us know!
Ian’s new collection of poems Unfurling is out now on Canterbury Press, also via your local bookshop, and all usual online sources including Book Depository with free delivery world-wide.