Sometimes in life it only takes 20 seconds of insane courage to do something extraordinary. At least that is the way the movie We Bought a Zoo summarizes it. In a tearjerker of a scene, Matt Damon who plays the dad takes his two young kids to the diner where he met their now deceased mother. The family has been mourning for the past few months because of her passing, and in the meantime he bought a zoo in the middle of nowhere to help his family heal. Why should he buy something he’s never tried owning or operating before? “Why not?” he replied and went through with his plan.
The story goes well; the family heals from the loss. The final scene ends with this moment in the movie with the whole family at the diner.
The dad, who has used this line before in the movie, starts by saying, “It only takes 20 seconds of insane courage.” He runs outside the diner to recreate the moment when he first sees their mom from the outside window. Then he rushes into the diner while counting down the seconds and keeping his children engaged in the story. Then, he shares his 20 seconds of insane courage line that started their story: “Excuse me, why would an amazing woman like you even talk to someone like me?” All a sudden their mom becomes visible in the room. The camera then pans to her.
Her response, “Why not?”
Courage beckons the response of why not. It invites us to do exciting things. Neurologically speaking, the younger you are, the more wired you are to take risk. The older you get, the harder those risks become to take. But risk is what helps your brain to grow.
“Risk is what helps your brain to grow.”
Did you know that courage is one of the attributes of the Christian? The book of Acts records the religious leaders’ astonishment at the courage of these followers of Jesus, even though they were just “unschooled, ordinary men” (Acts 4:13, NIV).
Risk is the journey, the plan of God to beckon us to move beyond comfort and into courageous moments in life. Sometimes it’s the 20-second courage to speak truth when someone is believing lies. Or the 20-second courage to start a conversation with someone who looks like they could use a friend. Or the 20-second courage to choose gratitude in the moment instead of grumpiness, or forgiveness instead of resentment.
But courage isn’t the only thing 20 seconds can accomplish. Courageous actions and stupid actions alike can be on a razor’s edge. Twenty seconds of an upset post or a misguided conversation can have long lasting effects on our relationships. A look at your phone while driving could lead to a horrible head-on collision. The list could go on. So, how do we mobilize our choices to creating courageous, not foolish or cowardly, moments? How can we get to a place 20 years from now and look back and say that by God’s grace we lived a courageous life?
I suggest we start by thinking about the little things in life. On average, every minute you have about 45-48 thoughts. That is a lot of noise racing through your head! That means in 20 seconds you have already had 15 new thoughts. With no lack of thoughts clamoring for attention, it is no wonder that Paul says,
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV)
“Risk is the journey, the plan of God to beckon us to move beyond comfort and into courageous moments in life.”
The trivial things, the little choices we make, matter. From white lies to the intentional choice to do something difficult, these moments start to build into something bigger in life. On the one hand, this is the boy crying “wolf” over and over until he isn’t taken seriously—even when there really is a wolf. On the other hand, this is the artist piecing together a mosaic, pebble by pebble, until a masterpiece emerges. The little choices matter.
Jesus gives us two great parables to help us form our own 20-second decisions of courage. The first parable focuses on a shrewd landowner, after which Jesus draws this conclusion:
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (Luke 16:10-12, NIV)
Notice how many times Luke uses the word “trust” in this paragraph. Trust often forms over time in small moments of interaction with others. As a parent, you try this with your kids all the time, giving them small responsibilities like chores around the house or phone usage. If handled well, these small chunks of ownership continue to grow into increasing responsibility. When trust is lost, it often comes in a 20 second decision, and that trust can take time to gain back.
“When trust is lost, it often it comes in a 20 second decision, and that trust can take time to gain back.”
In another parable, Jesus helps us with what to do with those things that he has entrusted us with. No matter the size or the amount, God has given us all “talents.” It is his desire to see all of us make something of what he gives us—building beautiful mosaics with the pebbles he gives us. Jesus shares this with us in Matthew 25:14-30,
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” (Matthew 25:14-18, NIV) 
Gold in this story is often translated in other versions as “talents,” an ancient unit of currency each worth about 20 years of labor. The last man in the story seems to do an honorable thing. It would have been disastrous if he had lost the master’s money. So, he thought he would keep it in a safe place where it would not be lost or destroyed. However, does this sound like courage? Do you think that God wants us to hide away the “talents” he has giving us? Or should we find ways to invest?
“It will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.”
Look at the end of the parable and you’ll see the master call the last servant “wicked” and “lazy,” while the resourceful servants heard this:
“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21, 23, NIV)
Woven within this parable is a sense of our waiting and longing for the return of Jesus. Jesus was preparing his disciples to ask, what do we do while we wait for Jesus? And one true answer is that we are to be about acts of courage. Whereas we see courage in the first two servants, fear was what motivated the third servant. Fear can take a 20-second decision and make it into a 20-year disappointment. Fear can cripple us and cause us to retreat, to hide the gifts and talents that God has for us. John reminds us in 1 John 4:18,
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18, NIV)
“Perfect love drives out fear.”
What 20-second act of courage can you do today? It can be as easy as a quick text, asking how you can pray for someone or sharing a Bible verse or even an article from RENEW.org. It can be a quick eyeball-to-eyeball word of encouragement to someone flailing in stress and anxiety. Maybe, it’s the decision to spend a few extra minutes with your family. Maybe, it’s not to send that DM or email that will vent your frustration. Maybe it is a conversation you need to have with God. Remember, faithfulness comes in the little moments of life, the pebbles that build the mosaic of your calling.
Whatever faithfulness looks like for you today,
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9, NIV)
