Fear of a Rose

"What do you fear, my lady?"
"A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire."

 The first time I watched this and heard that quote, I got shivers.  I wanted to jump up and be like, "Me too Eowyn!  Can I sword fight with you?!"

First of all, I love the question, it's direct, simple, and yet so deep.  I mean when was the last time you were in a conversation and they were like "So what do you fear?"  Sometimes I think it would just be so nice if we all quit the small talk and ask what we really want to know.  Ask the deep questions that make a person who the are. 


Secondly, it described me so well.  I am not saying that in a good way, or even a bad, I'm just sayin'.  I understand what Eowyn means, and some of it is Biblical and some is not, so true and yet so false.  We are called to valor, but the definition and role of that is different from what she thinks.  Her heart is in the right place, but I think if she (and I) were honest with ourselves, we would realize it's not that we just want to do something brave, it's that we want to do something brave and bask in the glory of it.  We don't just want to be strong, we want to be strong and be noticed for it.  We aren't willing to do the unsung chivalries, the ones no one notices as being courageous in their own right.  Things like, singing to a baby, washing the dishes, and making sure dinner is on the table.  

So yes, I fear a cage, and no chance for valor, but I need to accept that being valiant in my own life may mean giving up the honor and the glory, and the epicness, and just washing the dishes.