The Courage of Convictions
Recently I was in a parenting discussion with several other moms who are of various spiritual and philosophical backgrounds. Passionate perspectives flowed easily from the other moms. My convictions drowned, failing to break the surface. My mind was whirling as I tried to compose a gentle yet intelligent response - a tough balance to find sometimes. I did come up with a response that was super smart, but it was about three hours later when I was laying in bed.
I'm very intentional in my parenting (normally) but couldn't articulate my beliefs fast enough. Any honestly, I was a bit intimidated by the bolder voices in the room, even if the logic was lacking. I left the conversation discouraged, beating myself up for being such a coward.
Why can't I just say what I mean and mean what I say? I know exactly why - I hate risking offense. I'm a recovering people-pleaser.
I have a hunch that I'm not alone in this struggle. Convictions can be hard to articulate, even harder to defend yet easy to change. Life is simpler when we base our convictions on our friends' opinions, what the media says is true, or our fickle feelings. It's the easy way - the American way. We avoid the uncomfortable terrain of thinking, seeking wisdom, and soul-searching. We allow the loudest voice at party, on social media, or in the news to win the most votes. It's not necessarily because they're smarter, their thinking is clearer, or they have any wisdom at all. They're just brave enough to speak.
These are three (of many) options we have:
1) Just go with the flow. Blend in. And nod in agreement - a lot. This is the path of least resistance. The easiest. The least adventurous. This requires no faith or courage.
2) Know enough about your convictions to encourage others but don't act on them yourself. Voting for the best candidates (doing your homework), serving your community, taking care of your health, stewarding your money, etc are all great topics to tell others about and not follow through with yourself. And BTW, I'm preaching to my own heart here - I'm the biggest of hypocrites in this area. I'll own it and am working on it.
3) Live your convictions. This is the least comfortable, the least easy and yet the most adventurous lifestyle. Your mind will stay sharp and on your knees will be bent in prayer every time you don't have a good answer. You'll never have all the answers, no matter how strong your convictions are. The refining of our souls is a treacherous yet rewarding process.
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A resource you may enjoy: Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, Do Work that Matters, by Jon Acuff. This is a great read! Easy, applicable, challenging and yet very humorous!
Question: What keeps you from speaking up?
I'm very intentional in my parenting (normally) but couldn't articulate my beliefs fast enough. Any honestly, I was a bit intimidated by the bolder voices in the room, even if the logic was lacking. I left the conversation discouraged, beating myself up for being such a coward.
Why can't I just say what I mean and mean what I say? I know exactly why - I hate risking offense. I'm a recovering people-pleaser.
I have a hunch that I'm not alone in this struggle. Convictions can be hard to articulate, even harder to defend yet easy to change. Life is simpler when we base our convictions on our friends' opinions, what the media says is true, or our fickle feelings. It's the easy way - the American way. We avoid the uncomfortable terrain of thinking, seeking wisdom, and soul-searching. We allow the loudest voice at party, on social media, or in the news to win the most votes. It's not necessarily because they're smarter, their thinking is clearer, or they have any wisdom at all. They're just brave enough to speak.
These are three (of many) options we have:
1) Just go with the flow. Blend in. And nod in agreement - a lot. This is the path of least resistance. The easiest. The least adventurous. This requires no faith or courage.
2) Know enough about your convictions to encourage others but don't act on them yourself. Voting for the best candidates (doing your homework), serving your community, taking care of your health, stewarding your money, etc are all great topics to tell others about and not follow through with yourself. And BTW, I'm preaching to my own heart here - I'm the biggest of hypocrites in this area. I'll own it and am working on it.
3) Live your convictions. This is the least comfortable, the least easy and yet the most adventurous lifestyle. Your mind will stay sharp and on your knees will be bent in prayer every time you don't have a good answer. You'll never have all the answers, no matter how strong your convictions are. The refining of our souls is a treacherous yet rewarding process.
---
A resource you may enjoy: Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, Do Work that Matters, by Jon Acuff. This is a great read! Easy, applicable, challenging and yet very humorous!
Question: What keeps you from speaking up?
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