You do not know the courage that is yours until the occasion arises. Until that time, beloveds, come from the assumption that you are one of great courage. Do not think of yourself as one who is less than brave.
No matter what you may have run away from in the past, you are of great courage. You have made it this far, beloveds, have you not? You have continued on. Your step may not have been firm, but you continued.
To live in the daily world takes great courage, and you live in the daily world. Do not let this little time in the world become fearsome for you. I have just told you that you are one of great courage. What you are called upon to do, you will do. Do not sell yourself short.
There are many kinds of courage. All are not bravery on the battlefield. All are not great dramatic moments, yet they are courage just the same.
There is day-in and day-out courage. And each morning you face the world. You shave. You whistle a tune.
Since you are one of great courage, it behooves you to be cheerful. No matter what, you can be of good cheer. This is not to say to present a false front. This is to say to be cheerful.
True danger does not exist. Yet you feel surrounded by danger, dangerous possibilities. Beloveds, there is great danger in not being cheerful. Why not be cheerful in meeting the world?
Can you imagine entering a race and not betting on yourself? What could be more foolhardy than not to bet on yourself?
The little flowers of God are burnt in the sun and buried in the snow, and yet each year they bravely come up.
Trees are cut down, and still they grow branches from their stump.
The sun shines through thick and thin. And you are hero of your own story. You triumph simply by being here.
Your heart is exposed to the elements, and yet you lead with your heart. There is no glistening shield to protect the Human heart. No shield is big enough. In truth, your heart needs no shield. That is an error of perception.
What the heart needs is to go free, and so must you.
Fears of danger strap you down, hobble you, compress you.
Even if you were to walk into a landmine, what good are your fears? Better to even step on a landmine without fear.
Do not gear yourself for danger. Life is something you just have to jump into. You dive into the water, and you learn how to swim. You keep learning how to swim.
The greatest danger is your fear of life. This is self-imposed danger. Fears will booby-trap you. Why put them there? Abandon fear, and you will be safer.
But the question in life is not to what degree of safety you live in. The question in life – it is not really a question because it is a certitude – is to relish each moment. Let each moment be a sweet orange that you squeeze all the juice from. Let each moment be a walk around the block. Let each moment be God-given life on Earth.
When was it said that in terms of the world, you must be perfect, that life must unfold perfectly, that victory has to be yours? When was it said that you must never stumble, never trip, never fall down? How can you pick yourself up unless you fall down once in a while?
In some sense, you have hidden yourself under the covers for fear that the sky was falling. I ask you to get out from hiding and bright-facedly mingle and alert the world, not to fear, but to joy.