The other night as I was tucking my 4-year old into bed, he made a statement that stopped me in my thoughts. He had been crying and in a cranky mood that evening due to being "tired", as he hadn't been getting enough sleep at night. A few months ago, his pediatrician suggested we give him Melatonin each night to help him sleep as he is a "thinker", and often stays up at night for 1-2 hours before he falls asleep. For months, we were giving him the smallest dosage and it seemed to be working, however David recently began researching further into it and realized the side effects that could occur and decided to stop giving it to him. So, on the nights he doesn't sleep well, the day afterward is, let's just say, not the best. On several occasions, I get him from the bus stop after school and he is the last one off the bus, having fallen asleep on the short 10-minute drive, in rather, uncomfortable seats might I add. I thought it was cute at first, then realized how his thinking and behavior at school must be if he is so tired. I talked with his teachers and sure enough, he complains of being tired often, and isn't motivated to clean up toys or complete things requiring energy. We're still thinking of what to do in this case, besides put him to bed even earlier. In any case, this night, he was pretty cranky and emotional, as this is his behavior when tired. As he layed in bed, he was crying, telling me how scared he was, and this is when he made the statement: "Mom, I ask God to make me brave, and sometimes He does, and sometimes, He doesn't!" He stated this with conviction, and from a place of sincerety. I wanted to laugh because it sounded so cute and sweet coming from his 4-year old voice, and it was so innocent and sincere. I thought about the song "He makes me brave" that I listen and worship to, and had to think about his statement before talking further. God does make us brave, but still, it's our choice to act with Courage or not. Courage, according to my recollection, is being afraid, and yet still doing that which is frightening. Bravery, is very similar, although it is different. Bravery, according to the best definition I found on some philosophical website, is the ability to confront pain, danger or attempts of intimidation without any feeling of fear. Two, different, yet similar adjectives. Philosophically, they differ in meaning. Courage involves the presence of fear, while bravery lacks it. Courage entails a cause- commonly love, passion, compassion, concern, etc. Bravery maintains its essence even without a cause. Courage is a result of mindfulness. It is one’s decision to fight despite frightful consequences. Bravery is an inherent characteristic. It doesn’t involve much thinking and rather manifests itself second to human nature for those who have it.
That night, I didn't know how to respond to my 4-year old other then, let's ask God for courage. My son was afraid of monsters that night. I sang one of our favorite songs from Veggie Tales "God is bigger than the boogie-man, He's bigger than Godzilla, or the monsters on TV, oh God is BIGGER than the boogie-man, and He's watching over you and me."
My son finally stopped crying, and we prayed a hedge of protection over his bedroom, and his mind, and asked God to give him courage.
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