Brave. Courageous. Courage. What do those words mean really? You hear it and read about it a lot. Someone was brave or courageous in some act or stand. Showing courage or bravery means this or that or is defined as this or that.
But really, what does courage mean to you? I am a voracious reader. Love me some Sci-Fi / Fantasy novels. I think JRR Tolkien must have written just for me, I could read those stories all day. I was a History minor in College and details of Battles, the politics around Wars and Conflicts intrigue me. In all these things, from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings to history’s frightening battlefields, there is always a courageous hero who through some act of bravery turns the battle and saves the day.
I get that, but the question today is what does courage mean to ME? How do I know if I am brave or courageous short of a crisis or battlefield experience? Just maybe it’s different for everyone. Just maybe it’s small personal battles and struggles not large epic, historical ones.
For some like my son, or anyone with disabilities that make them different, getting up every day and facing a sometimes hostile and confusing world is pretty courageous. For some like a good friend who suffers from MS just getting up and going to the store some days takes courage. How about that person who quietly sticks to their values, faith and morals in the face of peer pressure? Those folks are pretty courageous especially in the world we live in today. The Apostle Paul, imprisoned by the Roman Emperor and facing certain death, penned many of the books of the New Testament. Got to be pretty courageous to do that.
So, each day I am asking God to give me courage for what I may face. Not the obvious bravado of a battlefield hero, just the quiet strength to face the challenges and stay true to my faith. This year has been certainly filled with those type of challenges. How about you? Feeling courageous today?
Regular Guy Russ 
I am finding myself un-courageous lately. This gives me the courage to pray for it!
LikeLike