courage in the ordinary...

whenever i hear of someone showing courage instead of cowardice...i find myself saying..."that's what i want to be like." i wish i had more courage...i do not want to be debilitated by fear or paralyzed by anxiety...i do not want to cave in under difficult circumstances and compromise my convictions or give up on difficult challenges...i do not want to be a coward...i want to be courageous...

this is a biblical truth...
"God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power"
2 timothy 1:7

i regret the fact that we usually hear about courage only when someone does some extreme act of heroism that attracts media attention...carrying an old woman out of a burning building...diving into an icy pond to save a drowning child...risking gunfire while dragging a man to safety...don't get me wrong...i love these stories...but they seem bigger than life...dramatic...once-in-a-lifetime opportunities never seem to happen to ordinary folk like you and me...but the older i get...the more i understand that it takes a great deal of courage to face life's ordinary...everyday challenges...

every single day we make choices that show whether we are courageous or cowardly...we choose between the right thing and the convenient thing...sticking to a conviction or caving in for the sake of comfort, greed or approval...we choose either to take a carefully thought-out risk or to crawl into a shrinking shell of safety, security and inactivity...we choose either to believe in God and trust Him...even though we do not always understand His ways...or to second-guess Him and cower in corners of doubt and fear...these choices come our way every day...rapid fire...we face them so frequently that we forget that we are even making them...and sometimes find ourselves going with the flow instead of carefully making courageous choices...

people say that christianity is for weak people...the cowards...i have always been fascinated by that accusation...because in my experience the exact opposite is true...it takes a great deal of old-fashioned courage to be a christian...my faith demands the best i have...in fact...a lot of courage is required even to become a christian...you have to own up to your sins before a holy God...that takes courage...

but how do you become courageous? do you make a wish? say a prayer? wave a wand?

sometimes we think courageous people were born without fear...in actuality...courageous people are ordinary people like you and me who began at some point to face their fears rather than running from them...

every fear that is faced and overcome becomes a building block...each success gives you a new sense of confidence...you grow in courage as you face your crippling fears...whatever they may be...you grow in courage as you allow your mind to be transformed...courage is not an isolated...optional character quality...it is not merely a nice trait for people who want it but unnecessary for those who are not interestd in it...courage is foundational to being a christian...

it takes courage to begin a walk with Christ...to reach out your hand and trust Him...it takes courage to lead a life of obedience to Christ...it takes courage to be moral and to build significant relationships with your spouse, your children...and with your friends...it takes courage to expand a business...change your major or start a new career...it takes courage to leave home or to go back home...

courage...we all need it...and God wants us to have it...but you cannot sit still and expect courage to come and find you...you have to go after it...