Last Updated on February 29, 2024
Do you remember the lion in the “Wizard of Oz?” He was a lovable guy but thoroughly convinced he had no courage. Because he was easily frightened instead of being ferocious, he decided to go with Dorothy and the others to the great city of Oz to ask the powerful wizard for the gift of courage.
But, alas, the great wizard was a fake. In the end, Mr. Lion learned he had the seed of courage all along. He just needed to exercise it.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately, researching stories of courage for a family devotional on that topic. And I’ve learned some facts about courage that I never noticed before – all of which are relevant to us as moms.
5 Thoughts on Courage for Moms
- Courage is a choice. Like the Cowardly Lion, moms are faced with choices that demand courage every day.
- Courage refuses fear. The courageous choices moms make are always counter-balanced with a fear that whispers, “If you ground your teenage daughter, she’ll miss that party, and then she’ll hate you forever!” Don’t give in to your fears. Refuse them and do what you know is good for your child. That’s being courageous.
- Courage always demands self-denial. To train your toddler to obey means you have to stop what you are doing, set aside your present task, and go reinforce your expectations. The setting aside of self is exhausting, but it is courageous because it believes the next trait about courage, which is:
- Courage thinks about the long-term benefits. Teaching children to do their homework faithfully requires moms to look to the future, knowing the daily task of homework builds responsibility while increasing knowledge. Letting a child put it off or not do it at all is selfishness (dare I say cowardly?) on the part of the parent.
- Courage is counter-cultural. A family who chooses to continue tithing when a job has been lost, a mom who calls another parent whom she’s never met to ask about the movie being shown at the sleepover, or a couple who make the decision not to allow their teens to go to the theater until they are 18 — all are counter-culturally courageous decisions. Courageous decisions are often unpopular, but parents aren’t running a popularity contest. Or they shouldn’t be.
There are more facts about courage, but I’ll spare you.
Here is my favorite statement on courage: An older and wiser mother said to me that sometimes the most courageous thing a mom can do is get out of the bed in the morning!
I loved that because so many mornings when the light of day came in our windows, I was not ready to get up and begin directing the circus. It gave me hope that my choice to be responsible, literally to rise to the challenge of a new day, was commendable.
May you begin to see yourself as “Mom, the lion-hearted,” courageously choosing what is best for your children and knowing in the end it will pay off.
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Looking for more resources on courage for you and your family? Be sure to check out Growing Together in Courage.
Families need to talk about courage, because we’ll all have moments of difficulty that demand tough decisions. And courageous role models can take us to a place of faith. These true stories capture our attention, granting vision and worthy examples that will redefine courage for every age.
With captivating stories to read as a family, this seven-day interactive devotional from speaker and best-selling author Barbara Rainey saturates minds and hearts with memorable accounts and vivid illustrations of true heroes who made noble choices.
