COURAGE What is a Man? An alphabetical list of attributes to which every man should attain.
What is a man?
An alphabetical list of attributes to which every man should attain.
C
Courageous
Webster’s definition, “The mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” I’ve heard it said that it’s not the absence of fear, it’s acting in spite of fear. The opposite of being courageous is being a coward, which might be defined as, “a higher level of fear than a situation calls for, or a low level of confidence”.
My boys have had to learn what true courage is. As boys, at an early age they wanted to take risks. “Dad, can we climb on the roof and ski down onto that big snow pile?” “Dad, can we jump from the really high cliff over there.” You notice that they’re asking me and not Mom. They know they share something with me that Mom does not possess. Not courage necessarily, but the willingness to take risks. In those situations and many others I would try to teach them that there’s a difference between being courageous and being a fool. In their twenties they continue to love pushing the limits but two situations in my youngest’s life caused him to pause.
A friend was performing a stunt similar to ‘Wing suit jumping’ where you jump off a cliff and glide on the wind. Something went terribly wrong and he died. Another friend, that same summer died in a white water rafting accident. How should we respond? Stop high risk activities? I don’t think so. Something in the male psyche is made for risk. We willingly go to war, jump out of airplanes, fight fires, drive fast cars, and more.
So, if it appears that, as a man, I am made for courageous activities could it be that all I do is training for when I really need it? But courage is not always running into the flames or risking your life. Winston Churchill said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, it's also what it takes to sit down and listen.” It’s also about reputation. Am I willing to risk what people think of me to stand up for the truth? And am I willing to shut up, listen long enough, guard my tongue and be teachable.
Churchill also said, “Courage is not success, failure is not final. It’s the courage to continue that counts”. I like that because we are often too focused on the outcome of an event and forget that life is in the journey. Also, each of us is going to define courage differently. As far as I can tell there isn’t an absolute on what courage is or isn’t. We have to be who God has called us to be today and leave the rest to Him. But the Scriptures do inform us as to the ingredients of courage and manhood?
Joshua 1:6 states, “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.” Their “promised land” was occupied by forces that often appeared much stronger than they were. And Joshua doesn’t just tell them to take a deep breath, forget their fears and go for it. He follows it up with verse 7, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” This is actually what will give them courage. Knowing right from wrong. Worshiping God. Obedience to God. The Law was very specific about so many things and the people could feel confident that with these instructions, and God’s presence, He would give them success.
In the New Testament, Jesus calls 12 disciples to leave their families and careers to follow him. That certainly took courage to do something that was uncommon and against social norms. But Jesus takes it a step further. After only being with them a short time, he sends them out in pairs to go into towns and villages with the message of the gospel. “And don’t take anything with you. Your needs will be provided for.” And Jesus doesn’t stop there. Following his resurrection he commands them to go everywhere and preach the gospel….without him. It was one thing to know that he was going to be around to support them, and it may have felt like he was deserting them. But he also promised that the Holy Spirit would be with them and give them the right words to say.
It’s no different today. The great commission of Matthew 28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” These are our marching orders as well.
In the 1930’s as the Nazi’s rose to power, they enacted an “Aryan Clause” that discouraged Jewish membership from the German state church. Bonhoeffer felt this was wrong, and spoke out against it publicly. Eventually, he helped organize a breakaway church to oppose Nazi laws.
By 1939, Bonhoeffer was an obvious target for Nazi persecution. When he was given an opportunity to flee to America, he gladly accepted. Yet after only two months in the safety of the United States, Bonhoeffer caught the last ship back to Germany before the beginning of the war. He said: “I have come to the conclusion that I made a mistake in coming to America. … Christians in Germany will have to face the terrible alternative of either willing the defeat of their nation in order that Christian civilization may survive or willing the victory of their nation and thereby destroying civilization. I know which of these alternatives I must choose but I cannot make that choice from security.”
When he got back to Germany, he was able to use his worldwide connections in academia to secure himself a position working in Nazi intelligence. His inside job enabled him to help German Jews escape to Switzerland and other neutral countries. Eventually his resistance was discovered. He was sent to various prisons and concentration camps for three years, until he was executed by hanging in 1945.
I wonder how we are to be courageous in our society today. Does ‘courageous’ describe you? How will you act politically, socially or in your family? Can you be sure you know the difference between being a fool and being brave.
Questions:
- Courage doesn’t seem to be an attribute that you acquire in a vacuum. It’s an outgrowth of what you believe. As a father, as a husband…as a man, does your belief system enable you to have this seemingly supernatural attribute?
Consider the following passages: Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:7, Joshua 2:11, 1 Chronicles 22:13, 2 Chronicles 32:7, Matthew 14:27, Acts 4:13, 1 Corinthians 16:13
2) Is courage something you have worked on or have you really considered it as an attribute to acquire?
3) We often think of courage as taking action. Can you think of a time when you were courageous by keeping your mouth shut?
4) How do you teach your children to be courageous? Do you teach girls differently than boys?
Action Point: Consider that your children(no matter what age) are watching you to learn what courage is. How will you teach them this week?
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Matt. 14:27
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