February 15, 2020

Be Brave


So I was going to a party last night and facing an age old dilemma.  When to show up?
Sure the invitation said that the party started at 5 pm, but we all know that 5 can often mean, “that’s when I hope to have all my work in the kitchen complete so I can take off the apron and socialize.” But there’s an unspoken code that one should never arrive right on time or even, heaven forbid, a little early.  “Fashionably late” was the catchphrase I remember hearing when I was growing up.  But how late is too late?  I had a friend who was so well-known for being late that we would tell everyone but her that the party started at 6, and tell her that it started at 5, thus guaranteeing she would arrive at 7 pm, slightly more than fashionably late but not too bad.  Tell her it was at 6 and she would arrive after the main course was cold, bringing an appetizer dish, and surprised to see people starting to leave. 
Which if you are highly anxious and slightly socially awkward is not a bad strategy.  Instead of a roaring party of thirty or 40, arriving unfashionably late instead means a quiet group of maybe 8-10 introspective folks pleasantly tired out from all the noise and bustle. 
Then there’s the perennial question when you go to a party of what to wear and what to bring.  When they say that you should bring yourself, do you believe that or do the socially appropriate bottle of wine only to find they have a palette for only French or Spanish and California just won’t cut it.  Blue jeans? Kilt? Sweatpants?  For some folks, this is nothing to lose sleep about, but for others, it is the source of much anxiety and stress.
Some people love hosting parties, planning menus, surrounding themselves with friends and family.  But they might be worried about which way the Dow Jones is going or getting an infection from some well-meaning person who has a cold. 
Some may have a fear of spiders or be nervous about large crowds or about being alone.  Some may studiously avoid all kinds of things because of their fears, and others might keep themselves so busy that they never have time to stop and think about what they are afraid of.
Some might be afraid of what others will think and do their best to be appropriate in all situations.  Others might not even be able to articulate what they are afraid of, but just know that they are afraid.  And many are really afraid of leadership.
So many times I have done a speech or made a presentation or given a sermon or read scripture and had people come up to me and say, “I could never do that, I’m too afraid.”
If only they knew.  You see, no one I’ve ever talked to who does what I do are doing it because we are totally brave and fearless.  No, the secret to doing brave, leaderlike things is to do it despite the fear.  If I had waited until I was fearless, I would still be a stay-at-home mom drinking hot chocolate and reading books.  Even Broadway actors say that the day they stop feeling the butterflies in their stomach, that’s the day they need to leave the stage because they have stopped respecting the audience.  Famous people, folks like Dame Maggie Smith are afraid to watch their movies and television shows because they are so critical of themselves, and so afraid of the reactions of others.
The only difference between people whom we think of as brave and people like us who are afraid is that the brave folks look their fear straight in the eye and say, “I’m going to do this anyway.  This is so important to me that I’m not going to let you stop me.”  It’s how we were inspired as a nation to block Hitler’s attempt to take over the world.  It’s how we stood up to people in this province who wanted to chisel away at public healthcare. 
We showed up on the steps of the legislature and pounded our drums to declare that humans had the right to be treated equally and with dignity.  We signed petitions and showed our support of the importance of human rights for all regardless of where they came from, what they looked like or who they fell in love with.  And we must continue to do so.
Christian leaders look at the big picture of what we are called by God to do.  We want to make the world a little more like heaven on earth for everyone.  We want to help people shine like the lights they are supposed to be.  We want to bring God’s dream of justice and peace for all to this world.
Christian leaders also look inside.  Am I doing what is in the best interests of others?  Where am I reacting out of fear and where am I acting from a God-centered place of calm and peace?  We are, like the Psalmist, constantly going back to our faith.  God is our light and our salvation, how can we be afraid?  When we look at our motivations and actions by the light of God, we can then make good healthy decisions for the whole of the community.  Jesus did not call religious experts, lawyers and politicians into following him, he called fishermen covered in slime with rope burns on their hands and dirt under their fingernails.  He called them into leadership roles, even though they did not know it at the time.  He called them into a new way of being community, a new way of living in the world.  It would have been scary, but they came and followed anyway.  What are you being called to do?  What kind of leader is God training you to be?  Know that when you wait for God, you will find courage, and see God’s goodness here on earth.  May it be so for us all!