Courage is Living By What is Real
What is courage? When someone stands up to a bully and defends those who are being abused, we call them courageous. When a soldier enlists to defend our nation, we call them courageous. When a thought leader writes truth in the face of power, we call them courageous.
But courage is more than justice, duty and truth.
Courage is living by what is real. When you or I recognize what is real and respond accordingly we live courageously. That sounds simple, but I challenge you to test it out in the lives of those you consider to be courageous. I think you will find that it holds true.
So in order to live courageously we must have clarity about what is real. How good is your grasp on reality? It could have a lot to do with whether you are living courageously. If you are doubting your clarity around what is real, seek out sources of truth: trusted people in your life, God's Word, subject-matter experts, etc. Hold up your assessment of situations to those sources of truth and discern your grasp on reality.
When we know what is real, we can discern right from wrong. It is out of that discernment that we can look at a situation and see if it should be praised or if it needs to be corrected. Courage is required for both responses.
When we see what is right, we are responsible to affirm it. When we see wrong thinking, we are also responsible to confront it.
When the rest of the world is deceived in their thinking, acknowledging what is real takes courage. One example is the current national discourse in various nations about immigrants. It is courageous to defend the foreigner, widow and orphan. Those who are seeking a better life, those who are in danger and those who are suffering deserve our loving response (even if that love includes asking them to follow the law in their search for a future). Part of that response is to protect them from those who are responding in fear, anger and hate to human beings that should be loved. That response will take courage as many who are stoking those fears are the people in power who should be tasked with crafting a loving response.
What are the realities that God wants you to acknowledge and respond to in courage today? Can you list them? Are you prepared to respond? Will you trust Him for the courage?