Courage. It’s a word that means a lot to me. It’s one that I count as a core value in my life. It’s a word that I’m passionate about, as I feel that many of us have so many misconceptions about it and hesitate to attribute it to a characteristic of ourselves. But when we recognize that we possess it and when we use it in our lives, it changes everything.
I had the opportunity to teach on this topic at our latest debrief and I wanted to expand on that and share it with you all as well, so here it goes.
Courage.
What do you think of when you hear that word?
Maybe you think of courageous men and women in the Bible. Maybe you think of police, firefighters, soldiers, or other modern day heroes. Maybe you think of people who look fear in the face. I don’t know what it is that comes to your mind immediately, but I know there are several options and scenarios that warrant the word courage, but we often only think about big-scale moments.
I believe there are a lot of misconceptions about courage. At least I know that I have been guilty of misunderstanding this characteristic multiple times. I’ve looked into the faces of many people who say that they wish they were more courageous or that they were bolder or braver. Time and time again I’m blown away, because what I see as I look at these same people is glimpse after glimpse of courage. There seems to be a belief that if you have courage, you aren’t scared. That it’s equivalent to fearlessness. There is sometimes a tendency to make courage interchangeable with the word confidence. We tend to believe that it’s innate- you either have it or you don’t.
These are just that. Misconceptions. They are not true, and I want to unpack that. Courage does not mean that you don’t ever have fear, for if you aren’t scared of something, then you don’t need to have courage to confront it. It’s not something that is given to some people, and not to others. It’s something that you can grow in and practice. Good news. The bad news is that the only way to grow it is to courageously face the things that you fear. . . each time it becomes a little easier. 😉 Having courage doesn’t always mean that you have the most confidence, it just means that you face the things in front of you with trust and confidence in the Lord and choose to act despite your fear or hesitations.
When looking up definitions for the word, Courage, the following are what came up:
-the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to ace difficulty, danger, pain, etc.
-mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.
Courage is an essential characteristic throughout the Bible. The Lord commands it numerous times- obviously it’s something to cultivate. It’s these definitions that I can clearly see in the different times in the Bible that the Lord commands a character (or us) to have courage. Here are just a few of them:
- Deuteronomy 31:6-8- Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, Be strong an courageous, for you must go with this people in the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it amongst them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Moses uses these words to encourage and prepare Joshua)
- Psalm 31:24- Be Strong and take heart, all who hope in the Lord.
- Joshua 1:9- Have I not command you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, or the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
- 1 Chronicles 28:20- David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged for the Lord God my God, is with you. (David uses these words to encourage Solomon)
- 1 Corinthians 16:13-14- Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.
In these instances, courage is commanded. But they aren’t told to do it alone- the Lord will be with them. These men are not more prepared or equipped than you are, they haven’t been gifted with huge amounts of courage that you are missing out on. They are faced with situations that scare them, that they don’t feel equipped for, that they didn’t necessarily see coming. But they face them in spite of their fears. I believe this is what the command “Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged,” means. I don’t think the feeling of fear is wrong, but it’s a command to not let it dictate their actions or cause them to become discouraged. They go forward in trust and confidence in the Lord and in doing so, show us what courage looks like.
We tend to think of courage being in the big moments of life, but courage shows up in millions of little things. Courage will look different for each person, because different things will require them to tap into it. Courage can look like:
- Stepping into leadership when you don’t feel equipped or ready
- Loving those that could potentially hurt you
- Sharing feelings, weaknesses, struggles with your community
- Being willing to process the hard things
- Being willing to speak up, when you’d really rather not
- Being willing to remain silent when needed, even if that means you may not get the last word
- Leaving home to go where the Lord has called you
- Saying “yes” to what the Lord is asking, even when you can’t see the full picture
- Giving the apology that is needed. Or accepting it.
- Making the choice to take care of yourself, however that looks for you
- Making a decision to follow the Lord, even when the rest of your family doesn’t understand
- Pursuing your dreams, even if that doesn’t look like the “American Dream”
- Standing up for you or others that have been wronged, even if it’s the unpopular thing to do
These are just a select few ways that I’ve seen courage in my own life or in the people around me. We all would say that we want more courage, but we have it. We just need to use it. As you step into courage, you grow in it and it brings others in. Courage not only serves you and your life, but it encourages others. Don’t let the lie that you aren’t courageous, or that you must have all the boxes checked before you can step into it hold you back. Let your life of courage encourage others, but also speak it into those around you. Just like Moses and David encouraged and reminded Joshua and Solomon who they were and who was with them, it’s our job to do that for the people around us. Courage requires bravery. Both entail moving scared. Recognizing your fear, but stepping out anyway. Let’s all help each other do that!
This won’t always be easy or comfortable, but in stepping out, you’ll find some of your greatest strengths. As Brene Brown says, “Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weaknesses.” You may feel weak as you begin to step out, but Jesus promises to be with us. It’s kind of like bungee jumping- you have to take a step off of the ledge and trust that the bungee (Jesus) will catch you.
As I was reading a book by Rebekah Lyons, the following quote became a prayer for my life. It’s a prayer that I prayed over F squad and is a prayer that I have for you, too. “I want my trust to be louder than my fear, even when I tremble. I want to help others see that fear doesn’t have to win.” Living a life marked by courage that can only be explained by the Lord in my life is what I pray for me, and for you.
So, you’ve all been given courage. You don’t need to wait for it or wish for it. You’ve been equipped with it and the Lord promises to be with you as you walk in it, so I just want to leave you with these questions:
- Courage looks different for each person, what does courage look like for you?
- How have you been walking in it in your life?
- How is the Lord calling you to be even more courageous? Is there something that He’s been asking you to do that you’ve let fear keep you from?
- Is there anyone that needs your encouragement to step into more courage?
