Discipleship, contemplation, and courage of one's convictions

 A question someone asked has caused me some time to ruminate. Who in history do you most admire?

In addition to the spiritual leaders of the great religions which are obvious. But I think whom we admire changes based upon our own condition and the state of humanity and reality (our perception of it anyway). The two people from history that have been captivating my thinking of late our Howard Thurman and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Would I have the courage of my convictions as Bonhoeffer possessed? I don't think so.

My limited understanding right now has led me to believe that discipleship comes at a cost. The rewards for discipleship are not of the material world.

The oft referenced serenity prayer "GOD grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference." points to a formula in navigating all of existence, but especially in times such as these. Wisdom seems to be the key. 

Wisdom...

Wisdom traditions establish a process of discernment. It does seem to me that the answers to any dilemma can be retrieved from beyond one's conscious thoughts.