We Bought A Zoo.

OK, well we didn't quite buy a Zoo, but we took a trip to the Zoo last week with some very special friends. It was an amazing experience! If you live in California or planning to make a visit, the San Diego Zoo is a must see. It was the first time we had ever been and it was a day I will never forget. The girls loved every single second of the day. They love animals and any animal that looked like it roared they roared at it. They pointed at the animals, the trees and just about anything and everything they found interesting. My favorite was when they would say, "Oh WOW!!!" over and over again as they experienced something for the very first time. When we would walk up to a new area they would immediately say, "Oh WOW!!!" I could tell that they hadn't quite seen the bear or the jaguar, but they new we were going to see something exciting. I would stare at them until I witnessed them actually SEEING what it was we were looking at. Many of the animals would almost blend in with their surroundings and it was difficult at times to see them. The girls would be distracted by the environment (trees, rocks, flowers, or other people standing around) and so it would take us standing there for a just a while before their eyes light up, their jaw would drop and out of sheer amazement they would clinch their fists and just stare in awe. Their expression said it all.

Oh WOW!!!

This past weekend we rented the movie, "We Bought A Zoo." If you haven't seen it yet, I urge you to rent it this weekend. It is an inspiring movie. I had been wanting to see the movie since it came out in theaters, but ever since our Zoo trip last week I really wanted to see it. There are a lot of great moments within that movie, but one moment in particular stood out to me. I had a BLOG moment. There is a special moment shared by a father and his son. When talking about fears and about life, he explains to his son that, "Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Just 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery and I promise you something great will come of it." What amazing advise!

Insane Courage.

 It felt as though someone had raised the volume during this scene in the movie because of how loud and clear I heard it! When was the last time you experienced insane courage? When was the last time you did something so daring it freaked you out just thinking about it? I began to ask myself these same questions. This past year has seemed like a year filled with 20 second insanely courageous decisions. It is so funny to me because I am a big baby when it comes snakes, heights, and other Fear Factor type of things but there is an adventurous insanely courageous person inside of me that is always looking to take a risk!


Embarrassing Bravery.


I think bravery and embarrassing should be considered synonyms. In order to be a brave person you have to be willing to be embarrassed. Daring plans aren't predictable nor are they anything like an insurance plan. That is why they are called daring plans. "More often than not, the will of God will involve a daring decision that seem unsafe or even insane." Mark Batterson, Wild Goose Chase. Insane courage means that you and I dream dreams that we can not achieve on our own and by doing so we run the risk of being embarrassed if what we are believing to happen will not happen. But being an insanely courageous person means that we do not look at a situation and think, "What if it doesn't work out?", but instead we think, "What will I miss if I don't try?" 


Something Great.


I can honestly say that something great has always come out of doing something insanely courageous. It doesn't always mean sky diving out of an airplane. Forgiving someone who has wronged you will always lead to something great. It may not result in a repaired relationship, but it could grant you the freedom and healing you need to move with your life. Loving someone who is unlovely takes insane courage. Giving of your time (when you can not even find the time to do anything else) to help someone in need takes courage. If it is going to take more than your own efforts and if it scares you just thinking about it, then you can call it insane courage and you can take it to the bank that something great will come of it.


20 Seconds.


You've got twenty seconds to comment in the box below and tell me what insanely courageous thing you are going to do!






Every week I highlight a TRUTH & DARE you to believe it. Here are this weeks TRUTH or DARE.







TRUTH: "The twenty-first century needs more daring people with daring plans." Mark Batterson






DARE: Do something insanely courageous.