Courage aka Fortitude
the ability to do something that frightens one; bravery.
strength in the face of pain or grief.
courage in pain or adversity.
It looks like many different things to many people. For me, I was given a key at the beginning of the year inscribed with the word courage on it. The key has been previously written about in minor detail but wanted to share a little more here.
A lot of prayer was given to what word would be on the key each of us received. When I saw mine said courage, I knew immediately what it meant. As much as I was excited and ready to go on this world adventure, I also knew it would challenge me in multiple aspects of life and those challenges would require courage to conquer. We were asked to pray into what meaning the key might hold for us and what G-d might have in store for us regarding the word as well. I’ve realized courage takes many shapes and forms as I have journeyed on this race. What might be courageous for me isn’t for someone else and vice versa.
While my team was in northern India, we had the opportunity to make a day trip to a neighboring city and attend a fellowship I have dreamed of visiting for the past three years. You see my friends back home have traveled there for conferences and different outreach opportunities and brought back their stories. I had wanted to go with them many times but the scheduled travel dates didn’t coincide well with a teacher’s work schedule. I had wondered if I would ever get a chance to join in this partnership and visit India. Much to my dismay I found myself not only in India this year with the race but also assigned to a city nearby to this fellowship! Talk about excitement stirring!!!
Long story short, I missed out on the fellowship but got to meet the couple* (husband and wife), who run it with a fervent passion, for coffee later in the week. Some of what was shared during this time was different parts of our journey and of the current conditions in northern India for believers. Needless to say the persecution is real and the more I heard of what was happening the more my heart cried out for the people there. In the middle of this conversation, he asked me and my friend why we were wearing keys and we shared our key stories. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the couple and fully understood why they were placed in this area as leaders and realized why my friends back home enjoyed their company as well.
Upon the conclusion of our conversation, they decided to give my friend and I a lift to a better place for hailing a tuk-tuk to the bus station. Before I got out of the car, I felt as if I was supposed to give my key to him. It wasn’t planned- there are no pictures- only a sweet moment shared as he stared in awe at the key. He literally held it in his hands holding them/it in a way to show he valued the gift. I’m not entirely sure why I was prompted to give it away that day knowing I am still in my own courageous journey but I do know he may need an extra dose of courage with what was shared of current challenges in the area.
“For true courage consists precisely in their endurance facing every obstacle with quiet determination. Only those who possess fortitude can bear to have their desires mortified for a higher cause; only the truly courageous can endure the loss of those things that they consider their right and their due.” – On the Shoulders of Hobbits
Joshua 1:9
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
The “Courage” key to the kingdom journey has been passed on and I’m excited to say I have a new key to ponder about given to me from a teammate. I think it goes along with courage seeing as it says “Live” and part of what it means to live is to have the courage to do things you might not normally do.
*note names have not been included to protect the individuals in this story
*********UPDATE*********
Online I saw this post and what’s neat is I had no idea when I posted Joshua 1:9 above that it had significance to the man I gave the key to! Yay G-d!
