Courage

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

I love the Word of the LORD to Joshua as he prepares to lead the children of Israel into the battle for the Promised Land. There’s something about that “take me into the heat of the battle kind of courage” that I love and admire. But I am convinced there’s more to courage than storming the gates of the enemy.

Two years ago this summer, I lost my Dad at age 93. I was privileged over the last few years of his life to visit him fairly frequently and had some amazing conversations with him. As his body began to weaken, his mind stayed surprisingly sharp. As I watched him navigate these difficult years he taught me a lot about courage.  Here are some things I learned about courage not from Joshua, but from my Dad:

COURAGE is getting out of bed and getting dressed when your body no longer wants to cooperate.

COURAGE is pressing on in the loneliness for the honor of the ones you have lost and for the sake of the ones who remain.

COURAGE is wheeling yourself out into the hallways of a nursing home in search of people whose situation is worse than your own so that you can offer hope and encouragement.

COURAGE is holding onto the values that have served you well for a lifetime as the rest of the world says "throw them all away."

COURAGE is holding onto your faith in God even when the One you've given your life to seems strangely absent and the pain seems to scream "He's not there."

COURAGE is testifying to the goodness of Jesus even when circumstances seem to argue against it.

It takes COURAGE to live well and finish strong.

It takes COURAGE to not give up when others around you do.

COURAGE is more than rushing into battle. COURAGE is standing strong to the end.

I pray that you all have an example of COURAGE in your life. For me, COURAGE isn't an abstract concept, its my Dad! Grant Walborn was the epitome of COURAGE and the example of a lifetime.  Thank you Dad.