“On this birthday I pray for bravery.” That’s how Matt began the journal entry on his birthday, just a few months before he died. Matt knew the road ahead of him was short, but he wanted to make the most of it. “That blessing of bravery”, he wrote, “would help me to take those first steps”.
Fear can be paralyzing and can have a voracious appetite. It can consume your time and deplete your energy without giving anything in return. And fear loves to pick a fight. The more you try to confront it, the stronger it gets. I’m a fan of the original Star Trek series that aired in the 1960’s. There’s an episode entitled “Day of the Dove” where an alien force draws its energy from hate and violence exchanged between other life forms. The crew of the Enterprise eventually figured out they could chase away the alien by simply setting aside their hostilities with the Klingons for a while. If only fear could be chased away as easily.
Which is why a prayer for bravery can be such a powerful thing. We can’t completely eliminate our fears, nor would we want to. They’re a part of us. The goal is not to dismiss our fears, but to acknowledge them, and perhaps even show them some kindness. “Thank you, Fear, for sharing that. But we have some things to get done right now, so you and I might as well just figure out a way to work together!”. That’s Bravery talking.
Thanks for the reflection Matt.