Brave For Life
Courage and bravery have been the watchwords this summer as Chris and his sister both successfully went through challenging surgeries.
My mind flipped back a few decades to a day when I had taken my small daughter, Katrina, to a pool for swim lessons. The instructor lined the little ones up on the steps and, after a while, suggested they wash their faces in the pool water. As they became more comfortable with this, they were encouraged to dip their faces into the water. Only one or two embraced this suggestion but, with some trepidation, Katrina leant her face in and stayed there for a few seconds. Afterwards, she shook the water from her hair like a puppy and began to giggle. At the time, we didn’t know it, but two little girls had been watching this, unable to overcome their own fears and face the water. In due course, we became friends with this family and were entertained to hear that whenever something daunted the two sisters, they would say,
“Be brave — like Katrina!”
Our church follows a more casual format during the summer months, and this year several weeks featured discussions on the themes of rest, resilience, and resistance. There were lots of thoughtful comments on these topics, in the context of the individual, the community, and the wider society. Several people affirmed that difficulties can be overcome when we face them with resilience, a buoyant and positive attitude. People commented on how well Chris was achieving this as he prepared for surgery. Indeed, he focused on gratitude for the talented medical team who would support him, and even asked people to throw a party on his surgery date in celebration that he would soon be well. His remarkable attitude of courage went a long way to subdue his fears and most likely made a big contribution to his remarkable recovery. This is wonderful, and yet, I can’t help but wonder if the challenge is more nuanced for many people. Often, we cannot all sustain an upbeat attitude during the prolonged storms of life.
By chance, this summer, I came across an anonymous prayer that had inspired me many, many years ago. It begins,
Make me brave for life, oh braver than this.
Make me straighten after pain as a tree straightens after rain.
Shining and lovely again.
It also has a lovely image about rising from sorrow as blown grass lifts after a storm.
I had vaguely remembered all of this. The words had brought me courage and tranquility in the smaller crises of my life. But now, as I read the end of the prayer, I am shocked.
Make me brave, life brings such blinding things
Help me to keep my sight.
Help me to see aright.
When I first read these words, I understood them in a general sense; I couldn’t know that, for me, they would literally come true. I now live with a blinding disorder and, together with many others who have profound conditions, disabilities, or unthinkable life circumstances, it takes a whole lot of courage. A positive attitude surely helps with “the living of these days,” but it’s not a full solution. I was encouraged by an article from Hadley, an agency that supports people with visual impairments. In a nutshell, it suggested that while having courage and agency is important, you don’t have to be brave all the time. It’s also reassuring to remember that, for the times when we can’t face the big things, we can be brave about the little ones,
Brave — like Katrina!
End Notes
Reading
There Are Rivers in the Sky
Elif Shafak
Viewing
The Great Pottery Throw Down
Listening
Nothing but Love
James Emanuel
Flying with Angels
Suzanne Vega
Poetry
Morning Lessons
Niall Campbell
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