In the movie We Bought A Zoo with Matt Damon, there is this awesome concept of 20 seconds of courage. There's a scene where Matt's character tells his kids that when he met their mom, he was simply walking past a cafe where he saw her sitting. He decided to make the most of 20 seconds of ridiculous bravery, and go in and talk to her - therefore resulting in their marriage.... Although I'm not sure how well 20 seconds of courage would actually work in that context in real life, I do think there is an important lesson to be learned here.
I wonder how many things in our life would change from 20 seconds of ridiculous, embarrassing bravery? I wonder how many friendships we could form, how many dreams we could finally make happen? I wonder how many encounters with God we could have?
I don't know what your life looks like, but how different would it look if this week, you chose to act on 20 seconds of insane courage? What if you used those 20 seconds to start a conversation with someone you've been wanting to get to know, but have been too shy to talk to? What if you used those 20 seconds to lift your hands in worship to God, and truly surrender all? What if, for 20 seconds, you looked at your life and realized how great it is? What if, in 20 seconds of courage, you look at yourself in the mirror, and love what you see?
What if you decided to be brave for 20 seconds, and speak up for what you know is right? Instead of looking the other way, what would happen if you helped that person you saw struggling? What if you decided to tell that one person how you really feel about them, instead of playing games and hiding behind walls?
I have learned some things about bravery. I have learned that first of all, being brave is attractive. If someone around me is courageous, I am going to be attracted to them, to their life, to who they are. I'm going to want to know how they learned to be brave, why they chose courage and how that actually looked in their life. The second thing I have learned is that bravery is contagious. It starts off a chain reaction of not only bravery in yourself, but in people around you. Sometimes, you choosing to be brave inspires others to be brave in their own lives and do the things they've been putting off for far too long.
Another thing I have learned about bravery is how it makes you feel about yourself. I think it gives you new confidence. It gives you a sense of realizing how strong you actually are. Being brave feels good, ya know...It unlocks something in you, teaches you something about who you are and who God has made you to be. And maybe that brave moment wont always work out the way you planned. Maybe those 20 seconds will lead to something that ends up hurting you - but at least you'll be able to hold on to that bravery, to that moment where you stood up for yourself, and said for once what you actually wanted.
I don't know about you, but I want to be brave. I want to be courageous, and fight for what I know is right. I want to make new friends, and I want to love life.
So, baby, today is a good day for courage. It's a good day to take 20 seconds, be embarrassingly brave, and do/ say/ be what you've always wanted to. It's a good day to fight for Truth, to say the words you've been choking down for too long... Today is yours, brave-heart. You've got what it takes.
Tell me, how big is your brave?
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