Fierce protection

I will protect the people and things I love fiercely: that includes myself.

I am not habitually a violent person but once – many moons ago – when someone persistently violated my personal space I did use physical force against them.  It shook me terribly for several hours, days and weeks. I have never forgotten the feeling of impending danger that I experienced and wanted to avert. I am not proud that I used force, but I am satisfied that I did the right thing at the right time.

That said, nowadays I use (as is my lifelong practice) the verbal skills of negotiation and personal engagement to avert any crisis.

Just last week I had cause to confront two youths riding a scrambler, at speed, on a footpath where I was walking with three children.

I did not approach them with aggression, although I could have, I was just intent upon sharing my thoughts – in a calm way – about the impact their reckless actions had and could have on others.

There was an initial standoff which included revving up of the bike as the rider turned the machine back towards me in a show of aggression. I walked forward regardless. I was determined but not stupid, I quickly assessed the situation and keeping eye contact I proceeded.

Insults were thrown at me, I decided to parry them with soft words and gentle inquiries. It seemed to work. 

Within a few minutes, the rider and his pillion passenger were calmer and nodding in understanding as I spoke with them. I explained that I knew about high-spirited actions but all I was asking was that they be considerate to the possibility of not so able people walking on the foot paths.

We parted amicably. The rider smiled from behind his balaclava and winked an acknowledgement of his understanding.

I was still calm as I went back to where my son and his friends were hiding around the corner. They were all safe that day, as was I. And I know things would have been so very different.

I am not easily deterred from doing right for those who are maligned. You see, I will always remain fiercely protective of those things close to my heart.

I dare you!

Many childhood games and experiences are based on the idea of daring. We constantly challenged each other to learn about our limits and to strengthen our connections.

I have a challenge for both me and you today.

I am saying that I don’t dare to let you know me.

Do you dare to get to know me?

Dare you!

If you try, you have succeeded – because at least you tried. If you don’t try then, sorry, but you have failed.

It needs a certain amount of courage to share yourself with others and a similar amount of courage to attempt to know someone. This is not an exercise in foolishness, this is an exercise in joy.

Once again, I dare you, triple dare you!

Hostage

Two people are in a room. They are aware of each other but do not openly communicate. One because they cannot, the other because they choose not to.

These people look similar but this is not a trick of any mirror. They are totally different on the inside. On either side of the room they exist, separately. They have habitually been kept apart. The first person is blindfolded, gagged and bound to a chair. The other is lying, unfettered, on a bed next to a wall above which is a window. The sun is shining through this window. But the person lays there with their eyes closed. Tears are flowing. Silent tears.

Today the door to this room has been left open. Sensing silence from beyond the room, the person in chains inclines their head to one side then hearing no outside noise they immediately begins to shuffle towards the beckoning cool breeze of the unexpected opening. Being so constrained it is a hard journey but they keep trying; falling over and righting themselves repeatedly. Eventually, disturbed from their private sorrow, the one on the bed turns away from facing the wall and looks at their room companion then speaks, in a low rusty voice, “Why waste your energy? You’ll never get away from this?”

“I don’t know that,” comes the muffled response from behind the gag, “but I’ve got to give it a go.”

The person on the bed sighs with resignation and swings their legs onto the floor before walking with a stiff gait towards the door. They open it wider for the chair bound person to depart from the room. Then, before returning to the bed, they deftly untie the bonds that restrict their fellow hostage to the chair.

The released man stands in the doorway and glancing out he throws a look at the retreating back of his liberator, “Come with me,” he pleads, “we can make it away from here.”

“I can’t,” comes the sad reply, “I’m more scared out there than in here…. I know this fear now.” The freed man shades his eyes from the temporarily blinding light then saying a quiet goodbye he slips out of the room and creeps along the wall beyond his prison. The shadow of reality that is left in the room gazes at the open door then returns to hug the wall and sob in desperation.

Courage - The Cast List

Sometimes we face situations that we do not know how to handle and if we share the problem with others they may give words of advice.

“Remember the story of Moses,” they may say.

“Remember how God led him and delivered the people out of the hand of the Egyptians.”

When courage is in short supply within our bodies we may be tempted to reply, “But I’m not Moses!”

This is true.

We are not the same as many of the heroes of the Bible stories and legends that have been passed down through the ages. The tales of heroism make us feel pride in the achievements of others.

In our very present situations, when we are confronted with a choice that often causes us to fear and want to back away, we sometimes look into the mirror of our souls and know that we are not Moses. We have to remember that although this is true there is still one constant about this miraculous situation. The focus may have altered from Moses to me but the lead character in this tale has remained the same: I am NOT Moses, but God is still God!

When we do our part, God is always there to do His part.

He gives us the courage we need when we step forward in trust.

I am not Moses, I am me and God is still God.