Conflict and Courage (Brave Heart)

Recently, I was on an airplane watching the movie, "War Horse." There is a scene where the cavalry unit is riding off to battle and as they pass by their commander, he is telling them what an honor it is to serve with them, exhorting them to fight for king and country, and to "Be brave, be brave, be brave."

Watching that, I began to consider how often bravery is required of us, not only when fighting a war, but in our everyday lives. One definition of brave is, "To endure or face unpleasant conditions or behaviors, danger or pain." Most of us can recall times when we've had to do this very thing.

My view at 40,000 feet

The purpose of my plane trip was to help my sister move my 93-year-old mother from California to Houston, TX. The undertaking was everything we expected it to be, including being quite physically hard on my Mom. I couldn't help but see how much bravery it took for her to make this necessary move.

I have observed that we don't always think of bravery when it comes to conflict. We might be aware of skills we have (or don't have) to handle relational difficulties; we might even recognize qualities we possess that aid us.

But we don't always realize the bravery it takes to engage -- to acknowledge something is amiss in a relationship, to make the decision to deal with it head on, to "endure or face" the possible negative fallout from that choice.

Today I am encouraging you to remember you have bravery in you, in your heart. When you encounter moments that shake you in these next few days, when you realize you are going to have to be the one to initiate that tough conversation, remember this is true of you, and reach for that bravery to keep you going -- it will be there.

Be brave, be brave, be brave.

DrK
www.confidentconflict.com 

Click here for my free resource: "Relationship Hurricanes: Disaster Prepardness 101 (12 Ways to Rule in Conflict)"