Be Strong and Courageous...

I remember a young soldier who joined our Battalion some years ago. He was a thin, wiry fellow with a very pleasant attitude and a very friendly approach. His politeness was incredible. Just five minutes spent with him would tell you that this was a lad who had been taught so many good values in life. His parents and school had clearly done a fantastic job in raising him. The problem was he was not seen as a typical infantry soldier. For that, he was seen as weak and to be in the wrong place. Yet, he didn't quit. By the time I left the Battalion, he had done very well for himself, he had been promoted to the rank of Sergeant and was a highly respected character. He still wasn't the biggest guy in the world but he was not one to be picked on.

The Bible tells us of a similar character in the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel, we learn of how a small lad defeated the huge Goliath, a fearsome warrior clad in Armour and heavily armed. Yes, we all know the story of David and Goliath but in both of our cases here consider the courage of the underdog. But before we do this, let's define courage. What is courage? Doing brave things? Doing things nobody else would do? Maybe we see these thrill seekers and daredevils having courage (Personally, I think they have a death wish and are totally bonkers but that's just me). No, to all of the above. True courage is very simple. It is the presence of fear yet the will to go on. You don't have to show outstanding qualities to possess courage. In fact, it is the weakest among us who show the most courage.

In both of our examples today, the smaller, weaker man overcame his fear in the face of overwhelming odds to triumph. Both of them were not given a snowballs chance in a furnace but by believing in themselves and believing that God had their back, they overcame. Do you have a situation that terrifies you? Do you feel you are not good enough or brave enough to do what must be done? Does it feel that the odds are stacked against you? This is where you will show true courage. Take heart, trust in God and trust yourself and despite your fear go forward focused on your goal. This is not my advice, this comes directly out of the ultimate book of life.