“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV
Courage only counts when you are facing something that is wanting you to lose heart, live in fear, or run away and hide. It’s easy to spout off verses concerning courage when you live in a first-world environment and your faith enjoys relative accommodation. However, change the environment and turn up the adversity or hostility and courage takes on a whole new meaning. It’s a dynamic that American Christianity has never had to face, but it is increasingly becoming a most relevant consideration.
What distinguishes me from the “world”? If I am “in” the world, but not “of” the world, then how exactly does that look? I suppose the answer is that I am at peace when everyone else panics. I demonstrate joy when everyone else is depressed. I practice the fruits of the Spirit when everyone else practices self-consumption. These things, I would think, are self-evident to all believers and they certainly are to me. But what about courage? In the midst of a pandemic, exactly how am I to demonstrate righteous courage? As I said in an earlier post, crisis has a way of unveiling things and asking the hard questions which were easily ignored in more pleasant times.
As I was thinking about courage, my mind raced to the many definitions that have been generated through the years…
“Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.” – George Patton
“The difference between a hero and a coward is one step sideways.” – Gene Hackman
“Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” – John Wayne
The above definitions are not a precise etymological study, but they paint the concept incredibly well in my mind. Courage isn’t linked to my emotions or even reasonableness, but rather a choice that arises from my inner man. It is an expected response to the convictions, commitments, and values I hold dear and prioritize. Courage enables me to stand-up when no one else is standing. It enables me to keep standing when everyone else sits down. It enables me to stand-out and speak up when no one else utters a word.
I am quite sure that courage will be defined by the tepid as reckless, stupid, unreasonable, and illogical. The martyrs of the early church were labeled as such. Their courage was actually contagious. Perhaps God is using this moment to infect His Church with a courage virus.
I think of all the selfless people in the medical profession who at this very moment are laboring with their knowledge and skills amongst the sick. Are they scared? Are they wanting to sidestep their responsibilities? I cannot help but think those thoughts are running through many people’s minds…but they are courageous…and we in turn are benefited. Does the Church and more specifically, my life as a believer, any less necessary?
I am no longer an “official” pastor of a local church. I have wrestled in my mind as to what I might have done had I been faced with this pandemic. It’s all a theoretical exercise, however, because my opinion and thoughts will never be put to the test of reality. That said, I would like to think I would be “saddling up anyway”.
What does courage look like in a pandemic? I am reminded by the words of Winston Churchill:
“Success is never final,
Failure is never fatal.
It’s courage that counts.”
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