“MOMMMMMM!!! WE NEED YOUR COURAGE KEYYYYY!!!”
“WHAT???!!!!” I yelled from the kitchen.
“YOUR MOPS Courage Key!” The girls came bouncing into the room. “The downstairs bedroom door got locked. We need to get in and the MOPS key is the only one that works.”
“Ummm…girls, my courage key is not a real key. It is just pretty necklace and charm. It it cannot open the door.” I tried to say this as gently as I could so not to deflate their enthusiasm.
“Yes, it can! We have used it before and we need it again!” My girls were confident and not the least bit concerned with my disbelief. They knew how to solve the problem and I was the only one getting in the way of their solution.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s go try.”
It turns out that my girls were right. My MOPS Courage Key and a lot of other real keys can open the locked bedroom door. This new bit of knowledge will save me the time and hassle of searching the house for a bobby pin or a screwdriver that it small enough to fit in the door’s tiny, awkward slot and release the lock.
I have wasted so much time looking for things that would unlock “doors.” “Doors” that I have shut and locked with anxiety, my insecurities and fear. Doors that have been held shut by the “what ifs?” and “I can’ts” or the “Is it worth the risks?” Past disappointments and present confusion add to the tangled mess of locked emotions. I have tried releasing the locks with keys that I have forged out of my own power, strength and control. Those keys have not worked. They have only left me more anxious, frustrated and tired.
There is one key that never fails. God.
Faith is the key that unlocks the door and courage is the key that helps you walk through it. Courage that is manifested through faith. Hope that is discovered through courage.
Sometimes I find myself asking God, “But it doesn’t look like the key?” or ” How is this going to work?” “Is this key the right one?” And I hear God whisper patiently to me, “Trust me. Have you tried it yet?”
Faith and courage doesn’t mean that you will not experience failure or pain. It is not a promise that things will be easy and every “door” you walk through will open into a “room” that will be comfortable and warm. Courage takes strength to venture and persevere. 1 Courage in faith can help you go from confusion to clarity. From captive to free. From stuck to unstoppable.
I am willing to guess that I am not the only one who has locked doors. Or the only one standing in the way of a solution. Let’s stop wasting time and start unlocking doors with faith, starting with the door to our heart. Let’s allow God and the Holy Spirit to work in our lives to help us depend on His strength (not our own) and start living the bravest versions of ourselves. Grab your keys and walk through those doors!
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 (ESV)
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