Courage
A long time ago I remember riding to church in Howick, and just as I was getting to the bottom of the last hill (and there are quite a few on the way!) I had a thought. If, as some old proverb tells us, forewarned is forearmed, then prophecy must be the weapon given, and needs to be handled with the same care and skill as any other weapon. The value of foretelling and the care required in its application is perhaps obvious, and so the simile with a sharp weapon is fitting. But last week I read a comment which said that the role of the prophet was as much to forth-tell as to fore-tell. The latter we know; and though I failed to find the former in a dictionary, the explanation given was one that I believe fits. To forth-tell is to speak into being - to bring forth, to cause to be born, to give rise to, to provide that which was lacking in order that what has been fore-told may occur.
If a thing has two parts necessary for its operation, one cannot be more important than the other, because the lack of either will cause failure. Take, for an example, air and fuel in your car. The car will not run without fuel, the fuel will not burn without air, so if anything happens to either supply, the quick jaunt down to the shops does not happen. Both of them, equally, are important. Now, as a second example, consider a warrior who is skilled in handling his weapon, coached and fit and ready. If, in the confrontation where he is needed, he lacks the courage to fight, his cause is as easily defeated as if he had neither skill nor sword. Remember the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz?
So, finally I come around to the title of this little idea. Prophecy has two parts - the inspiration of fore-telling to open the door, and the strengthening of forth-telling to enable us to pass through it. Encouragement is a soft word that covers a truly vital action: supplying courage to another. Courage is a tough, strong concept, but somehow encouragement has become something undervalued and weak. Prophecy is there for our equipping and strengthening, and as well as for our encouragement; what good is strength without courage? So as a salute to those out there who know how to impart courage to others; thankyou for what you do. So too, a plea to all the rest to see encouragement for what it is - the giving of something strong and valuable and vital - and to encourage you to see where you might perhaps encourage someone else. It's amazing the difference a breath of air makes to a fuel ignited; it's amazing how easy it is to give, and how priceless to receive. How satisfying to see the cowardly lion cowardly no more. Go on, give it a go. Find something to say that will build someone up, then stand back and hear them roar. Just a thought, K.
- Posted by flyingkiwi on 09/07/2006.
- flyingkiwi's site
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