Being Courageous; Being Intentional

Peering out the window of 27a at 30,000 feet I realized I learned something over the past 2 weeks. During that time I had the priviledge of leading 2 screenings of the movie Courageous (

) at Winshape in Rome, Georgia and just last night at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs.

The movie caused me to realize that most everything in my life that amounted to anything came about due to some level of courage and intentionality.

Marriage, being a parent and living a life of faith is like driving a card from Atlanta to Chicago: You have to understand there are risks but crank it up anyway. You cant just take off aimlessly. You have to be intentional. You cant just let your hands go free because your tired or because everybody else seems to wind up in the ditch.

Doing a quick scan of my life I realized a few things:

It took courage to get married even when culture as a whole was crashing and burning.

It took being intentional to find the kind of woman that God knew I needed.

It took courage to bring 3 kids into a world that was pretty messed up.

It took being intentional to lead them upstream instead of going with the current.

It took courage to discipline them when my nature was to "just let it go."

It took intention to instill values and grace in their hearts when the world they were brought into was just the opposite.

It took courage to admit to my kids that Daddy blew it.

It took being intentional to win back their trust and respect

It took courage to admit that I was struggling with depression and couldnt "fix it."

It took intention to get out of the pit and stay out.

It took courage for my wife to love me even when I was unlovable.

Only by God's grace have I made it to this point in my life. Without His grace, strength and direction I could not have figured it out myself. I'm not that good.

Now, I have to ask on the back side of life: will I choose courage and be intentional or just free fall it like some around me?

Will I be courageous enough to be a better father, husband and grandfather ?

Will I be intentional enough, courageous enough to finish strong?

Something to think about.