The minds of Americans are indelibly imprinted with the dramatic scenes of this past week – a bloodied former president, swarming Secret Service agents, and counter strike sharp shooters – all images of courage under fire.
Courage goes by many terms: guts, grit and gumption, gallantry and bravery, heroism and valor.
The word courage itself is rooted in the Latin “cor” or heart – a frame of mind that gets to our deepest feelings.
Christians, especially, know that the word “heart” is referring to more than a critical organ that pumps blood through our body. In fact, by one count, the word is found nearly 1,000 times in the Bible. And unlike its popular usage today as a reference to our emotions, God uses the word “heart” in the Old and New Testaments to refer to the core of our being and our deepest desires.
The prophet Jeremiah warned that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it” (17:9)?
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life,” wrote Solomon (Proverbs 4:23).
There are lots of references to a “pure” or “clean” heart (Matthew 5:8, Psalm 51:10), or a “new” heart (Ezekiel 36:26). We’d rather have a “trustworthy” heart (Proverbs 3:5) compared to a “troubled” one (John 14:1). We know that God wants us to seek Him with the totality of our heart (Psalm 119:2).
Given the centrality of the heart, it’s no wonder we’re so drawn to men and women of courage, and not necessarily towering figures on the national stage.
Dr. Henrietta Mears was a single woman running the children’s ministry at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, California. When she joined the staff in 1927, there were 450 children attending. She grew it to 6,500. Her students included a young Bill Bright (Campus Crusade founder) and Louis H. Evans Jr, future pastor to President Ronald Reagan. She also heavily influenced a young Dr. Billy Graham, who was beginning to liberalize his theology. She basically set him straight.
“To know God is to have a reservoir of sustaining force that never fails,” she said. “This fortitude pervades every nerve of the Christian as Christ lives with him and fulfills God’s perfect will.”
Dr. Mears was said to possess something of a magnetic attraction. In reality, it was Christ in her that pulled the people to her classes and programs.
Some have suggested that to win the world to Christ we need to speak the world’s language and adopt its ways, lest we be viewed as strange or out of touch. It’s a trap and foolhardy approach. The opposite is true.
We don’t need to compromise or tread softly on truth. The world is hungry for it. Those outside the Christian church are in a desperate search for people of courage, for those willing to stand on principle.
What does courage look like today?
It’s a pastor addressing moral issues from the pulpit, unafraid about complaints from the congregation or bureaucratic bullies from the IRS.
Courage may also be talking to your pastor who seems leery of such subjects, encouraging him to lean into his role as shepherd and teacher.
It’s standing up and speaking out at a PTA meeting or requesting a meeting with a school principal to discuss curriculum.
It’s volunteering at a pregnancy resource center, mentoring a young woman, and encouraging her to carry her baby to term.
It’s making the tough calls as a mother or father, saying “no” when the kids are begging you to say “yes” because “everyone else is doing it.”
Courage manifests in countless ways across the country. The best news of all as followers of Jesus Christ is that our faith allows and enables us to conquer any and all fears that might beset us.
“Be strong and courageous,” urged Joshua. “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (1:9).
Original image from Getty.
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