Courage is not a permanent condition.
It is not the lack of fear. We all have fears.
All you have to do is read stories of our heroes to confirm it. Mostly, they were petrified.
This means they are human. And it makes their courage more meaningful, not less.
We do not hand out medals to drones or robots.
Fear is universal.
You don’t have to train for it. Or search for it. It will find you.
Courage is overcoming fear.
Courage is always on back order. With each new fear, courage has to be found.
This makes encouragement – finding courage – constantly in demand. Even for heroes.
Especially for heroes.
Therefore . . .
Encouragement is a universal need.
In different ways and different places, we all find courage.
But no one is born with it. We grow it.
Some more than others, faster than others, more practiced than others.
But it is still a skill.
Courage can be learned.
It can be borrowed, caught and taught.
We can get better at it. We can train and study. We can practice.
The faster we find courage the better.
That is the point of all of this.
We must take courage.
It cannot be given. It is an act of will.
Fear will not wait.
It must be met.
Often before we are ready.
Or before we think we are ready.
Courage is the foundation of all virtue.
Our lives are determined by it.
Let it not be in short supply.
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Photo: rock climbing @ lei pi shan, yangshuo china By mariachily via Flickr
