Have Courage and Be Kind...

I loved this tag line from the live-action adaption of Cinderella. I love seeing little girls with shirts bearing the phrase. I applauded Disney for finally giving our girls more than "A dream is a wish your heart makes" or "Dreams do come true".

Often times, when I talk to Gus about having courage and being brave he will say "But, Mommy i'm sacred!" and I would say to him, "Being brave means doing something you know is right, even when you are scared". It is easy to say this to our children or to others, but not so easy when we ourselves are faced with our own scary situations.

We live in a broken world and often our dreams do not come true. The Grimm brothers got it right, not Disney. And this is a reality that we need to teach our children. So what happens when you are called to something that is hard? When the journey is filled with pain and adversity and the people that you think will be your support system are not? This is where Disney got it right: "Have Courage and Be Kind".

Many times in my own walk I do not behave with the obedience of Abraham or the devotion of Job. I behave more like the Cowardly Lion than the courageous Aslan. But that is OK.

It's OK to be scared, what matters is doing what is right. Just yesterday, my good friend Jeni reminded me of this when I told her how much anxiety and fear I have been dealing with surrounding our adoption. And her words were a balm to my soul.

"I'm sure you're scared. It's a huge deal. But you're right just to tell yourself to be brave---you can't be brave without being scared! So really it's perfect, right?... I can imagine all of the details can make you feel inadequate but I really believe that in some situations, love is all you need. This has been planned out for you to accomplish and you have Christ's light in you. He will fill in the gaps."

Isn't that the truth! It reminded me of when Moses was commanded by God to speak but due to his speech impediment he argued with God:

"Then Moses said to the LORD, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." The LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?…"

Moses was brave and yet he was scared. He did as God instructed and God worked in a way he did not anticipate by using his brother Aaron to be his mouth. God filled in the gaps.


God continues to fill in the gaps for our adoption. Most of the time he waits until the last minute...but isn't that the way he always does things? He called us to this and we have obeyed even with much fear, anxiety and trepidation. Even when we didn't see the way, he has met every need. And his plan is beautiful. God designed this story as a tapestry with many many threads all intertwined. We didn't have a pattern to follow or a list of instructions. We only have faith and courage in the ONE who does.

Our story is not over because really it is just beginning. I'm scared. I'm scared to fly across the ocean, to be away from my other children. I'm scared to meet my new son and watch him hurt and grieve. I'm scared that he will not like me. That sounds trite, I know... but it is a fear. There are a lot of fears and most of them are things I cannot control. So I keep reminding myself:

Be Brave, Have Courage and Be Kind. God will do the rest.