We’ve all heard amazing stories and acts of heroism that are worthy of the news broadcasts. Most would agree that courage changes things.
We need spiritual, moral and relational courage. We need the courage to make the right decisions about our present situation and our future. You need courage to make the best call regarding your kids, your finances, your relationships. My guess is that you want more courage in your life too. No one wants to live a life motivated by fear and anxiety.
So, what is courage?
Courage is often portrayed in the culture as a one-time event or for a particular profession, but it also takes courage to make decisions with the ordinary challenges we face everyday. Often times we make choices so quickly we don’t even realize their impact on others. We go with the flow instead of making decisions that are courageous.
”The probability that we may struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe is just.” Abraham Lincoln
During the Civil War, Lincoln stood tall against the conventional wisdom of the day by making difficult, principled decisions. Despite the challenges he would endure Lincoln courageously kept his conviction rather than caving in for convenience or the approval of the majority.
If you were to do a study of the Bible on courage you would find countless characters who were fearful, yet demonstrated courage. You would discover many ‘fear nots’ proclaimed to ordinary people who were overwhelmed and without control of their circumstances.
Are you feeling overwhelmed right now?
Joshua was feeling intimidated and fearful about taking over for Moses and leading Israel into the Promised Land. That’s why God encouraged Joshua three times to,“be strong and courageous.” God wants to encourage you with three realities about courage:
We need spiritual courage.
Some say Christians are wimpy, weak willed, and in need of religion for their own insecurities. Yet, Christianity challenges people to give their whole heart, their whole life to God, to give the best they have. It takes courage to repent, to own up to your sins. It takes courage to admit you’re wrong.
It takes courage to admit you could have handled things differently. It takes courage to ask forgiveness from your kids and maybe from your friends. It takes courage to change the course of your life. It takes courage to move on and accept your circumstance and discover what you can learn from your failings.
It’s so easy to choose ourselves over others, greed over sharing, and pleasure over giving. But, it takes courage to look in the mirror and say, “I need to change.” It takes courage to speak the truth in love when it’s more convenient not to. It takes courage to live for God when the culture is screaming why bother.
We need moral courage.
I don’t see a lot of moral courage in today’s culture. It takes courage to stick with your convictions. It takes guts to stand firm in your values and principles in the marketplace. But it can cost you something, perhaps popularity, maybe friends, or maybe that promotion because you told a client the truth. Stand up for truth and grace, the brave ones do, and you can be one of them.
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” Teddy Roosevelt
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Nelson Mandela
You too can choose everyday courage. Will you? Don’t give up, never give up…
We Also Need Relational Courage… Join us for our next blog..
Mark
