Dwindling Resources - Moxie - The One Year Book of Inspiration for Girlfriends
Dwindling Resources - Moxie
ARE YOU RUNNING LOW on moxie? Lost your nerve? When you look in the mirror, do you see Dorothy’s Cowardly Lion looking back at you?
I’m afraid . . . afraid that as we age, we lose our courage and passion to be change agents.
Before there was Rosa Parks, there were three other important young women in the civil rights movement. If you’re not a student of African American history you might not be familiar with Irene Morgan, who at twenty-seven was thrown in jail, eleven years before Ms. Parks’s history-making arrest. Perhaps you’ve never heard of Claudette Colvin, who at the tender age of fifteen also stayed seated as she stood up for her civil rights and was arrested nine months before Ms. Parks. Eighteen-year-old Mary Louise Smith took the same step just forty days before Rosa Parks; like them, she was arrested.
Where did these girls get their moxie? And where can we get some?
As I think about all the women throughout history who have taken a courageous stand, I wonder about us and our generation. What are we doing to improve the racial, social, and family conditions that exist today? How can we mobilize our moxie? I say we start by following Irene, Claudette, and Mary Louise’s lead:
We must have an opinion and know that the foundation of our opinion is firm. We must be convicted. Each of these three women clung to her belief and hope for a positive outcome. Like these young women, we must be passionate, knowing that if we fight the good fight, we may impact future generations.
All three of these young women wrestled daily with the issues of racial discrimination, but they didn’t work alone. These women knew the power of consensus and were part of a base of strength.
And they endured. They knew they would be arrested. They knew there would be fines to pay. They knew they would suffer physical and emotional duress. And each one knew she would likely lose her individual battle, but she stayed in the fight to win the war.
None of these women had status. None had money. There was not an Ivy Leaguer in the bunch.
They just had moxie.
Without oxen a stable stays clean,but you need a strong ox for a large harvest. (Proverbs 14:4)
What are you passionate about? What can we change together? How can we impact the world with our actions, rather than our continuous complaints? Maybe it’s time we stink up the stall.
