Dignity and Courage

In December of 1955, a tired Department store seamstress, on her way home from work, in a simple act of courage, said NO, and refused to give up her seat on a city bus.   As I have watched the memorial services for Rosa Parks over the past few days, it has made me consider how much character and courage that simple act must have taken.  She was arrested, harassed, and threatened with death.  Eventually she and her husband moved to Detroit, where she continued to work toward the cause of racial equality.

She did the right thing without thinking about the cost.  Re-visiting History, and thinking about Mrs. Park's life has made me consider my own convictions.  Do I always try and do the right thing, even though it may cost me?  Do I swim against the current, if the stream is flowing the wrong way?  My faith reminds me that Jesus did the right thing, regardless of what others thought.  Even though I would like to think that I do, in reality, I know there are times when I don't. It's just easier to take the path of least resistance.  This of course is not acceptable.  If I want to continue to grow in my relationship with Christ, then I MUST do the "hard stuff."  How can I go to the next level in my walk, if I don't choose to go the extra mile even though it may be uncomfortable, or something I don't want to be "bothered with".  We say we want to be used by God, but as soon as God asks us to do something outside our comfort zone, we get scared or we complain. "God this is just too hard."  It's a wonder that God doesn't just give up on us sometimes. Thankfully, He doesn't.  He continues to teach us, and love us until we begin to get it right.

My prayer for the body of Christ, is that we will begin to seriously consider whether we are "being the Church" to those around us.  I pray that I will reach out to the people that God places in my path, even when it isn't convenient.  If we as "the church" were to practice this consistently, what an impact we could have for the cause of Christ.   

Comments

[chris]

Des, this is such a good word for all of us. Your post reminded me of these wise and poetic words:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost