“Only be thou strong and very courageous…”~ Joshua 1:7
I have written on this topic before, but would like to expand on it in this writing.
My title for this article is not a misnomer; it is a paradox. It is written of Jesus’ disciples, “…and as they followed, they were afraid.” They would fit John Wayne’s definition of courage: “Being scared spitless, but saddling up anyway.” Fear is the prerequisite for courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to keep going in spite of it.
You who are familiar with the scriptures are aware of how often God exhorts both His leaders and people to be courageous. To a thinking mind one must conclude, in our natural state, we’re not prone to be so. Anyone who has years behind him and has made people, in general, a study in his life knows this to be true. We are all cowards at heart; some more, some less. Nevertheless the seed is there. There is no need to repeatedly tell someone not to be afraid and to be courageous who already has a lion-like spirit.
The many “fear nots,” “be of good courage,” “be courageous,” and other kindred sayings prove the above paragraph true. So what then transforms cowardliness into courageousness? Simple: in many a life the need and responsibility before them dwarfs all fear: such feel it would be better to die than not face it!
"Heroes are not heroes because their bravery exceeds others. They’re heroes because he or she is braver five minutes longer than anyone else."
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If you’d like the Biblical insight to the issues of our day my son Andrew’s link is here.