We can learn a lot from nature; the way ants work, bird migration formations, fish (salmon) swimming upstream. There is a danger to swimming upstream; the current is against them, predators waiting for the ambush moment, but there is a bonus at the end when they make it.
This Forward Friday is about tribe courage; what are some of the positive attributes that make our tribe work, even working in ways that run counter to the prevailing noise of the day. Even when the winds of the day appear to be gusting in ways that will not make us better, we want to be better and our tribe helps us be better.
Like the salmon that swims upstream to spawn, we can become much more fearless, confident in the areas of life that are not easy if we dare face the wind...stand...and keep walking with a Tribe Of Courage...
Let’s Get Into This:
The crazy thing is, if our tribe grows in areas of life that matter, we can effect change in our world by our actions, attitudes, care that exudes from us and a tribe is a great place to work on the areas of life that matter.
It’s okay to admit we’re a work in progress and I think that being in relationships with those who are in our lives to help us grow are priceless.
So here a few courage things I’ve been thinking about that I believe can be of help as we walk into this weekend..
Does our Tribe Encourage Courage In:
The Ability To Say We Are Sorry/Blew it
It takes courage to admit when we are wrong. It’s a bold act to admit when we make a mistake.
Apologizing takes humility, and humility is a character that God greatly values!
When we humble ourselves and apologize to others (which can almost always be extremely difficult to do), we are showing honor and respect to those we have wronged.
To say we got it wrong takes us out of our comfort zone.
It’s A Big Deal!!
Forgiveness
It's never easy but we need to figure out ways to slow down the beating ourselves up over what could have been.
Forgive ourselves. Forgive everyone.
What happened is over unless we keep it alive by reliving it in our mind.
When we know better, we do better.
It takes courage to move forward.
It doesn’t mean we allow ourselves to be run over again, but we choose a different outlook.
Listening
Listen to people who disagree with us.
It’s hard but one of the benefits of tribe built with courage is to be able to listen to those who can speak into our lives with insight.
Listening when we only want to speak and give advice.
Listen and be thankful to others for sharing.
There are always lessons to be learned, even in uncomfortable moments but tribes of courage help us in the learning process.
Learn From Our Mistakes
We can reflect on wrong and what we could have done better and to look for the lessons in those mistakes.
We can choose to grow forward.
What better way than to grow with a tribe who will help us as we make better decisions as we grow and move forward.
Compassion
I think one of the things that helps us as we are in a growing, positive, nurturing tribe is that we can learn to be more compassionate.
There is nothing like recognizing that we are imperfect and because of it, we can learn to allow for others mistakes and help them in their journey of growth and health.
We can learn in the tribe to make new plans, to never give up in the journey of our lives and help those we walk with to do the same.
Some Good Medicine To Help Us Into The Weekend
There are benefits of a Tribe of Courage because it’s not about just hanging out in the tribe; we live in a society that puts demands that in certain cases create unreasonable stresses and expectations on us and we need strength and encouragement to more than “just” make it!
I know my Tribe has helped me in the area of saying no.
It's important to be able to say no so we feel empowered while still maintaining our relationships with others. Saying no has helped me establish healthy boundaries and enables others to have clarity about what they can expect from me.
It hasn’t always been the case but I’m working on it and my Tribe of courage has helped me!
Strength from our tribe will help us so that:
Our uniqueness will many times feel like awkwardness until God at the right time shows us the relevance of where we’ve been and where we are going.
There is a learning curve to being okay being the only one in the room so to speak.
The Wishbone will never experience the benefits of the Backbone.
Be strong and take heart, all who hope in the LORD
"Courage is contagious. When a brave man/woman takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened."
We need courage in every facet, corner of our lives. It isn’t easy going against the wind when it would be so easy to go with the wind….. But sometimes…… The Tribe Of Courage helps give us the fortitude so we can have The Strength of the Backbone to walk and live courageously different when we need too!
That we are to be governed by our conscience, and not by pressure or coercion; the ability to sometimes be standing alone even when the prevailing thinking of the day goes against our conscience?
Tribe Courage Helps
It isn’t easy but we can become more fearless if we dare to walk into the wind…. And being in a Tribe of Courage helps……Walking with you….
Comments