Facing Life Courageously

When we think of courage we really only need to close our eyes for a moment and think back to the days we were starting school, be it public school or college, and all the feelings of anxiety and the butterflies come fluttering back, just like it was yesterday.

Do you remember when your toddler started kindergarten it must have taken a lot of courage to get on that school bus for the first time and wave goodbye to moms who are desperately trying to hold back the tears at least until the bus has reached the end of the driveway. I don't know who needed more courage: moms or kids.

Then there was those who started grade 1. A lot of courage is needed for grade 1 kids because now this is real school and a lot more is expected. You are on the bottom of the "pecking order" and there are so many people.

Even starting High School can be terrifying, I remember how petrified I was when I started High School (just after the world cooled) that I would forget where my locker was. There was hundreds of lockers, on several long halls on two floors, and they all looked alike.

Then there are those who start college for the first time, or even those who are going back to college after years of being out of school. It takes courage to follow your dream.

Then I saw courage elsewhere: I spoke with a family this week whose house had been broken into and ransacked. A real violation against them. Even there I saw courage to not allow fear to stop them from living fully.

Of course when we think of 9/11 and the terrorist attacks we think of many people that exhibited courage and the much needed courage in everyone's life to move on with fulfilling lives and not allow fear to make us all retreat and hide.

So with all this happening, it got me thinking about courage.

Well lets start off by asking:

1. What is courage?

One book I was reading defined it as "strength of purpose and steadfastness of will in the presence of life's threats and tribulations." (Zondervan Bible Encyclopedia Vol. 5 pg. 993)

My definition is this: Courage is that inner strength to be all that God has called you to be, including inner strength to do what is right when it would be easier to succumb to the pressure to do otherwise and inner strength to bravely face the future when settling for something second rate would be simpler.

There seems to be two types of courage

A. There is Physical courage:

Sometimes we call this "valor".

It is the type of courage needed in battle. And certainly this is the type of courage needed as we live with the ongoing, ever present threat of terrorism.

B. The other type of courage is what we call Moral Courage.

This is the courage needed to stand up for truth and justice. This is "the courage of endurance . . . the will to bear . . . the pains and frustrations of life." Zondervan P.E. In a society where morals are decaying and many no longer are concerned about living right, this is the type of courage that is needed. "Courage is the basic virtue. Of what use is wisdom if you don't have the courage to act wisely." (Recovery Devotional Bible, "The Courage to Change" by A. Philip Parham, pg 1231) You can be as wise as an owl, but that virtue of wisdom is useless if you are too afraid to act on what you know to be true.

2. When do we need courage?

A. We need courage when we are facing difficulties and trials. In fact it is physical and spiritual threats and dangers which bring out courage or cowardice in a person. You might say, if we never had struggles we would never really know how courageous we could be. The question is not whether we will face turmoil but, how will you react; will you flee or stand firm. It is the moment of truth. Some might argue that people are either born courageous or they are not. "There might be traces of courage found in everyone but it is something that we attain through the exercise of the will." (Zondervan P.B.E. Vol 5 pg993) Now that does not mean that courageous people do not feel the emotion of fear. We are not to go around denying that we feel fear when faced with a trial or potential danger or a challenge where it is uncertain if we will be successful. We all feel fear. My fears may not be the same as yours, nevertheless, we all feel fear at different points in our lives. Some people may berate themselves because they sense fear and think that the don't have any faith. Some people deny they sense any fear and try to be macho. "These people don't realize that courage really has nothing to do with the absence of fear." (ibed) Instead of fighting your fear, or berating yourself for having fear, or denying fear, it is better to admit a sense of fear and dread and allow those feelings to drive you to greater dependence on God. That is how we overcome fear and act in courage.

B. You also need courage to face yourself and change.

Some of the most courageous people I know are those who have faced their character flaws, their emotionally crippled part of their personality and decided, regardless of the inner pain they were going to face their fear and change that part of themselves. These people have had the "guts" to examine painful memories; they've been ruthlessly honest about past failures and stopped making excuses for themselves. You know, people think it is easier to behave dysfunctional throughout their life; being defeated, self-defeated; making the same mistakes over and over, never really emotionally or spiritually maturing, all because it seems less painful. But "It requires honesty. It takes courage to confront the truth of our unmanageable lives and then admit it." Recovery Devotional Bible, "The Courage to Change" by A. Philip Parham, pg 1231

C. Another time we need courage in life is in facing the future.

Isn't it a shame when you see a person in who has a great deal of talent and potential but who is too fearful to use those talents. It is courage that allows us to venture forth into God's exciting and satisfying will for your life. Courage opens the door to possibilities in the future. To everyone I say, but especially to young people, there will always be lots of people who will tell you why something can't or shouldn't be done. Don't be surprise by the "nay sayers" in life. When you know that something is right and good, act on it even when you feel fear and hesitation. " . . . courage - even if it is (only) a tiny spark - is what enables us to act as if we are confident until we, in fact, become confident." RDB, "Courage to Act" by Earnie and Carol Larsen Hegarty, pg 524

Courage is not something we psyche ourselves into. Courage is one of the benefits that come when you know you are greatly loved by the Almighty God. The more a person knows that he or she is under the love and care of Almighty God, the more they can experience courage. After all, if God is with you, what is there to fear! You need courage to face the stress in life? You need courage to face the future? Come to the God of courage.