The Courage to be Uncommon

It takes absolutely ZERO courage to be common.

Ask the guy who went to school with Martin Luther King Jr., but never spoke up. Ask the nun who had the same ideas as Mother Teresa, but never thought they were possible. Ask the slave who watched Harriet Tubman, but was too afraid to take the same risks. They’ll all tell you that being common and maintaining the status quo takes no guts at all.

Being common is easy. And, while you know I like things easy, there isn’t enough chocolate ice cream in the world to make me settle for being common. Being common turns my stomach like the thought of cottage cheese covered brussels sprouts. Having the courage to do the uncommon and extraordinary—now that whets my appetite.

(And there I am talking about food again. Something just comes over me when I’m here working the drive-thru!)

I want to be counted among the courageous. I don’t want to be that guy, that nun or that slave we’ve never heard of because they never spoke up, never thought it was possible or found themselves too afraid to take the risk. I want to be the crazy one, the risk-taker, the “I know it doesn’t make sense, but God told me to do it, so I will” kinda gal. And I want you to ride the crazy train with me (if you dare).

We have a choice everyday, to stick with the same-ole same-ole and see the same old results, or to push toward the undone and unexpected and discover amazing things. That choice might be the difference between living like a chicken and living like a champion. Let’s remind ourselves of who is living on the inside--we’ll make the right choice every time.

So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the Lord! Psalm 31:24