Be Strong and Courageous, not Safely on Shore
Topics to Dig Into
Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people… Be strong and very courageous… Meditate on [the scriptures] day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:6-9 (NIV excerpt)
Under an umbrella, toes in the sand, watching people, and chatting with a friend describes my ideal beach day. Getting wet leaves a sticky, yet itchy, dried salt water residue. While jumping over waves looks fun, it isn’t worth the discomfort.
On this day a storm brewing offshore creates an angry ocean and massive waves. My brother exuberantly rides wave after wave, calling me to join him. I debate internally. Waves slam swimmers to the bottom, but body surfing looks like a blast. Salt water is sticky, but these waves are once-in-a-lifetime.
Safely on shore, I nearly missed a fabulously fun frolic.
We stay safe when it comes to spiritual conversations too, even among our church friends and family. We compare our busy schedules instead of comparing sermon insights. We repost cat gifs but don’t repost scriptural memes. Expressing a personal opinion requires vulnerability. We fear rejection and confrontation.
We’re missing moments for meaning relationships.
God says “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” (Isa 41:10) Immersing ourselves in His Word and following His way, let’s courageously dare to dip our toes into respectful conversations about faith, trust, doubt, and hope. We’ll discover a new depth of intimacy within our existing relationships that we don’t want to miss. Be strong and courageous!
Do you have a friendship you dare to take deeper?
I’ve also written about
Missing a chance to talk about my faith
My desire to share my passion for God
#SeedsofScripture #deeperfriendships #donotbeafraid
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Spend a few minutes to plant a quick Seed. Or stay longer and plant a whole garden.
Well said ma’am. It always seems much safer to make polite conversation about the weather, news headlines, or local events. But then again, are we focusing our hearts and minds on this world or the next. I’m with you Ms. Cathy. Let us be mindful of eternity and focus on the long game! Well said ma’am. Let’s have conversations that have eternal consequences; the weather will change again in 10 minutes anyway.
This post was sparked by a book I recently read for class called “Reluctant Witness” that is based on Barna and Lutheran Hour Ministries research. It says that 75% of self-identified Christians are having 10 or fewer spiritual conversations per YEAR. That is using a broad definition of what a spiritual conversation is – ANY conversation about spiritual or faith matters including doubts. That is a conversation with ANYONE, including our church friends, family, and even spouse. That is so very, very sad. We just don’t know each others’ hearts at all. Less than 10 per year.
You’ve touched on an issue that we tend to avoid discussing–our hesitance in having meaningful spiritual discussions. It’s a scary thing! But, when we are brave enough to “dive in,” our relationships become much deeper and our bonds with others much closer. Thank you for encouraging us to be “strong and courageous.”
When I recently learned that 75% of Christians are having less than 10 spiritual conversations per year I was stunned. This included conversations among church friends and family. I’m clearly an oddball because I’m always bringing up scripture or God topics. This habit (or lack of it) is removing faith from our worldview. Scary indeed. And as you say, it can be so good for our friendships!
Rejection is definitely a deterrent in connection and relationships. We do need to be brave and step past it into vulnerability. Thank you for the encouragement!
Yes, we want people to like us. It can be awkward, but if we push through it can be so rewarding. I find that if I am vulnerable, it gives the other person permission to take off their mask too. And then the friendship really gets started.