Which is more difficult?

In the last two weeks Bart and I have seen two powerful movies that were based on historical facts:  Darkest Hour about Churchill's decision to not sign a treaty with Hitler and The Post, where Katharine Graham, the first female owner of a major newspaper, had to decide whether or not to publish information about decades of government coverup in regards to the Vietnam War.  Both of these were movies that showed how one individual was able to change history by being courageous in a crucial moment.

You and I may never have the future of a country in our hands.  We may not have the responsibility to stand up and protect the first amendment when it comes to free speech.    We probably won't be the ones making a major decision that impacts thousands of lives.   I don't know about you, but I picture myself as a person who would have courage in those big moments to stand for what is right.

But what about the small things that require courage.  Things like:

• Taking care of an elderly parent or a chronically ill spouse with a good attitude day after day
• Caring for grandchildren when we feel we are too old for the task;
• Heading into a meeting at church where there is conflict and speaking out when it would be easiest to keep quiet;
• Going into a room where you know there are people who have mistreated you, but facing them with grace and love anyway;
• Stopping someone in the middle of a sentence who is telling a story about someone that you really don't want to hear;
• Walking up to a homeless person who may look scary and offering to buy them a meal;
• Saying "no" to the expectations of society when it comes to buying more and more stuff we don't need.

I am sure you can think of countless examples where courage is a whisper in a conversation between two people, or a silent refusal to participate in something negative.   Those acts of courage won't be in a feature film nor will they be shared with anyone.   But it just might be that those daily small acts of courage are more difficult than the epic life changing choices that those with more influence or power than any of us might ever have have to make.

So today, as you think of courage, think of the small things.  For it very well may be that the small things are the most difficult acts of courage there are.