The courage to invite
One of the main characters in the Wizard of Oz is the Cowardly Lion. He is the last of the companions Dorothy befriends on her way to the Emerald City. The Cowardly Lion joins her on the yellow brick road so that he can ask The Wizard of Oz for courage. But the Lion does many courageous things on the journey before he gets to the destination. There is of course a saying that you have nothing to fear but fear itself. Invitation requires courage, in that we need to fight off fear. Some fears are valid, walking alone in a bad point of town at two in the morning. But fear if left unchecked in the area of invitation, destroys mission. God tells us that we have the inner resources to deal with it through His presence. Listen to these words spoken by God to Joshua Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’ Courage is taking action despite the fear. The breakthrough moment is when you take responsibility for taking action and inviting. May your journey be full of courage.
