What is courage? What is the definition? What does it mean to you? Once you can answer these questions, what does it mean to HAVE courage? These are some of the things that I have been pondering over the past several days after I had a conversation with my brother. He was talking about what it means to have courage, and it is something I honestly hadn’t thought of. I have talked a lot about many other things like anxiety, fear, and worry. It is time to talk about courage.
First, what is courage? Well, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Courage is the “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty”. Oxford Dictionary states courage is “the quality of mind which shows itself in facing danger without fear or shrinking; bravery, boldness, valor”. The Oxford Dictionary also says it is “the ability to do something that frightens one” and it is “strength in the face of pain or grief”. A lot of different definitions that all mean the same thing, just different ways of defining courage.
What does God say about courage? A lot.
Psalm 56:3 “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust you”
Psalm 31:24-” Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart. All you who hope in the LORD”.
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go”
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”
1 Corinthians 16:13 ” Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong”.
Mark 5:36 “Overhearing what they said, “Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid,; just believe””.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight”.
These are only a few verses that talk about fear and courage. There are so so many more!
There are also many famous quotes that talk about courage.
“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
“Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” — Winston Churchill
“Courage is about learning how to function despite the fear, to put aside your instincts to run or give in completely to the anger born from fear. Courage is about using your brain and your heart when every cell of your body is screaming at you to fight or flee—and then following through on what you believe is the right thing to do.” ― Jim Butcher
“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength.” ― Napoleon Bonaparte
Okay, so now that I have laid all of these definitions, Bible verses, and quotes out…what does courage mean to you? I think Roosevelt said it very well. “Courage is not the absence of fear…”. To me, courage is being strong when the going gets tough. It is learning to face your fears and overcome them. Without problems or fear, there could be no courage. Courage doesn’t happen when things are all roses and unicorns. Courage happens when your are tested- when things aren’t going well. I get my strength from God- both on the good days and bad days. It is the bad days that make me stronger. It is the bad days that make me courageous. Because of Jesus, what reason do I really have to fear?? What is it I am afraid of? Dying? Bad labs? The outcome of upcoming scans? Why should I fear? God says not to. He holds everything in His hands. I need to have faith and courage. The outcome is already written- I just don’t know what it is yet- and that right there, the unknown, is where the fear can come into play. Face the fear head on. Have courage. Have faith. My life is not mine and my story is already written. It was written before I was ever born.
There are so many areas in our lives where we need to take courage. It may or may nor be a medical diagnosis. It could be financial issues, family issues, job issues, relationship issues….and the list goes on. In each and every one of these situations, we need to take courage. We have a loving Savior who is there and who will give us the courage and strength to get up each and every day and face what we need to. I pray that I find the courage to face my fears head on, to face everything coming up head on, and I pray that God gives you courage in whatever you are going through.
Forged In The Flames 