Daydreaming About Courage (+ highlights from last week)

imagining what courage + confidence might look like for our kids

Hello! I hope you had a rejuvenating weekend. As a reminder, you can listen to the audio version of this post (with a little interview with my 8-year-old at the end 🤗)

As we’ve talked about facing our fears this month—and helping guide our kids to do the same—an important part of it all is asking “Why?”

If our goal as parents isn’t simply to protect our kids from any pain or difficulty, what are we aiming for?

Ask this for yourself personally…as a middle-aged, middle-class person, you’re almost certainly not going on spy missions or leading a giant group of orphaned children on a treacherous 27-day march to safety.¹ So why should bravery matter for you? What does it look like for you to brave, with all your strengths and weaknesses and the exact situation in which you find yourself?

Daydream along with me…

• Maybe your daughter will stand up for the kid who always gets gossiped about, even if it invokes gossip about her (though deep-down they envy her confidence)

• Maybe your marriage is going through a tough spot, and a future with a spouse you don’t feel attracted to feels terrifying, but maybe it’s worth persevering in for the sake of your kids…and maybe someday your love will be richer and deeper than you could’ve dreamed

• Maybe your kids will grow up and move to somewhere dangerous, providing critical surgeries to people who could never repay them

• Maybe saying yes to foster care will help mend families (even if it often breaks your heart)

• Maybe your child with a disability will find a way to do what other disabled kids thought was impossible

• Maybe your son will shut down disrespectful conversations in the locker room and stand up for the dignity of others, and the guys then rethink some harmful decisions they could’ve made

• Maybe choosing to adopt an older teen will save her life

• Maybe you see a need and a way that you can meet that need, and you’re scared of losing that financial cushion, but it’s worth it to err on the side of generosity

• Maybe your family can be a bridge that overcomes division in your city…and maybe that starts by inviting people who are different from you to come over for dinner

Did you notice how many of those scenarios have a much more far-reaching effect that is so much bigger than just you and your bravery? I don’t know who said it first, but courage is contagious. One act of bravery from you or from your kids could light a fire of more change than anyone could ever imagine.

Tim Keller has written, “True courage is not ‘I can do it’—that is self-confidence. It is, rather, ‘This is more important than me.’”²

Can we dream of ways that our bravery will actually matter, even in ways that long outlive us? I’d love to hear what you all come up with.

Here’s a review of the posts from last week! Remember, you can click on the title of each day to post to read the full thing.

Activities: Easy Crafts with Fall Leaves

We shared lots of easy ways your kids can interact with the beautiful colors of autumn. Even something as simple as inviting your kid to make a miniature tree with twigs and torn leaves can keep them busy and stimulate their senses and creativity! Check them out here.

Book Discussions: Biographies Help Us Be Brave

Bessie Smith, Corrie Ten Boom, Daniel Nayeri’s mom…reading stories of people who have been unstoppable in the face of danger help us believe that maybe we can be brave in hard things, too. Read the post here.

Meal Inspiration: Spooky Snacks

We shared several ideas of simple modifications you can make to foods you’re probably already serving your kids that will add a touch of seasonal whimsy. Whet your appetite here.

Let’s Discuss: Courage

Ask a loved one some of these questions! And consider contributing to the discussion in the comments! (If you’re listening to the audio version, my daughter and I talked about a few of these.)

Thanks for reading!

Warmly,

Hope (and PJ) from Family Scripts

1. see the story of Gladys Aylward; NYT obituary here

2. from The Songs of Jesus, pg 285 (October 12th)