“I should have told you something. I didn’t have the courage to tell you.”
These are the words shared by Grace to Bob in the movie Return to Me. These words have been put off and put off because Grace was afraid of Bob’s reaction when he found out what she had to share.
*****SPOILER ALERT***** Here is the crux of the plot of the movie.; Bob’s wife passes away in a car accident. Grace has been sick much of her life and needs a heart transplant. Grace receives the heart of Bob’s tragically deceased wife. Bob and Grace meet and begin to date. Grace discovers she has the heart of Bob’s late wife.
Upon hearing the news of a heart becoming available for Grace, her Irish grandfather happily declares as he heads for the hospital, “Oh, thanks be to God and all the saints in heaven!”
As I watched this movie over Thanksgiving weekend I was struck by something I’d only recently discovered. Often times what we are thankful for comes at someone else’s expense.
On June 14, 1989, I received a call from my mom informing me that a kidney had become available for my younger brother. His kidney issues began when he was a young boy and as he got into his late teens and early twenties they began to deteriorate so badly that he was on dialysis for several years. A transplant was needed.
Much like in the movie there was always a longing for a phone call that never seemed to come. The call came when an 18-year old young man from Michigan was killed in a motorcycle accident. My brother’s thanksgiving, a thanksgiving for all of us, came at the expense of this short-lived life.
As we quickly roll from Thanksgiving into Christmas I’m also reminded of the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus Christ. While we celebrate his birth we must remember that his birth is only a foretelling of his death on the cross. As a Christian I have a heart of Thanksgiving because of the eternal life I am gifted because of his death. Once again, my thanksgiving comes at someone else’s expense.
No, today’s post isn’t directly about courage. Sometimes, however, it takes courage to look at our lives and the things that we are thankful for a little deeper.
I hope you had a very happy Thanksgiving and I pray you have a very special Christmas!
Have a STRONG and COURAGEOUS day!
Do you need a speaker for an upcoming event? I’d love to be that guy. You can reach me at dave@cultivatecourage.com or 952-200-7499.
You can now buy the book “Cultivate Courage” on Amazon! https://amzn.to/2DWJrSb
