Who Knows What Courage Is?

courage |ˈkərij; ˈkə-rij|nouna) the ability to do something that frightens oneb) strength in the face of pain or grief :

This is one popular definition for "courage". One can certainly say that courage is the ability to do something frightening. What I would like to suggest is that every person has the opportunity to be courageous every day.

Now, as I know that I have a tendency to redefine popular words and apply them in a nouveau/pseudo-spiritual sense with the partial goal of riding the cutting-edge of this Mainstream Reformed Evangelicalism, I don't want to so indulge myself in such behavior, particularly with this post. I will not redefine "courage", but I would like to add a little bit of depth to such a flat definition that ultimately turns each person in on his or herself and satisfies the sense of fulfillment we all crave for so deeply. 

The reason why believe that this definition is not complete is because there is no explanation for the motive of courageous acts. 

Let's think together about some of the instances in which one might consider someone else as having acted courageously. I will paint the picture of three of those situations:

1) Envision a building. It is located in the central business district of New York City. It has 65 stories. The main glass door that distinguishes the somebodies from the nobodies is bulletproof and crystal clear. Now walk through the lobby and enter the elevator. The music is a calming jazz-fusion, and the carpet is so soft that one cannot walk on it without slightly sinking down. Exit on the 64th floor. This floor is different than the rest of the floors in the rest of the building. There are only four offices on  the 64th, and all four occupiers make well over 7 figures per year. Enter the door that reads "Vice President" printed in cool silver lettering on a flat black background. There stands the VP of Megacorp, entire body trembling and sweating so profusely that he has ruined his entire $5,000+ suit and is leaving handprints of sweat all over his phone and his desk. He has just been informed that he will lose his job, benefits, and all forms of compensation because the president of Megacorp has finally been caught after having stolen more than $300 million, mostly from the shareholders. He has two options: 1) deny previous knowledge to the actions of the situation which would thereby allow him to leave the company quietly with a fair sum of money, or 2) admit to complicity, forcing him to lose everything. He picks up his phone and commands Siri to call his attorney. He leaves with nothing- a poor and broken man. Honesty got the best of him. Was he courageous? Absolutely. 

2) Let us move away from the white-collared elite level of corruption we find in New York City. Rewind the clock about 60 years. There is a war of elephantine (thank you Chesterton) magnitude that occurs on many fronts and in many countries during the early 5th decade of the 1900's. Running through the Black Forest in Germany, the squadron of Allied Forces are on their way to liberate a desperately suffering concentration camp. To the commander's surprise, and slew of Nazi infantrymen forcefully hurl their bodies into the now clustered division of Allied Infantrymen. Close enough for the use of bayonets, one Nazi infantryman rears back the butt of his rifle to plunge it deep into the core of one of the Allied men. One of these Allied comrades sees the brutal evisceration that is about to take place, and he leaps in front of the bayonet, consequently paying the price with his life. Was he courageous? Absolutely.

3) Forget about the far-away WWII forest scene and the picture of the high-ranking executive sweating his brains out. This last scenario happens in your own hometown, and includes individuals at your church. This may even occur in your own home. There is a mother, a father, and at least one child in the age range of 1-18 that is in nowise interested in complying with said child's mother's commands. She speaks clearly and patiently with the child until the child throws a temper tantrum and breaks the porcelain lamp while at the same time damaging the baby grand piano. The mother is now tempted to lose all control and give in to the desires of her child. Being a woman that loves Jesus and wanting to see her child grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, she removes herself from the situation, walks up the stairs to her room and prays. She returns with a continued peaceable spirit and does not relent from her wish to her children. While physically, emotionally, and spiritually draining, this mom takes her call as a mother gravely seriously, and waits to address the situation until her husband returns from work. She counts the cost, and considers it worth the struggle to give on her own feeling of rest and relaxation for the sake of her children. Was she courageous? Absolutely. 

What is the common thread that runs through these 3 different situations? "Courage", you might say. Sure. The answer is courage. The problem with that answer is that with the aforementioned definition of "courage", one cannot yet understand the depth present in any of the previously stated demonstrations it.

Here is my addendum to the Oxford English Dictionary definition of courage:

"Courage is the ability to do something that frightens one, or strength in the face of grief because he or she recognizes a reality that is greater than his or her own."

This addendum shifts the focus back to where it ultimately must rest. If the applause of courage was meant to stop and rest on those who displayed the courage, the greater cause for which those who displayed it would be obscured and its importance greatly mitigated. Excepting those who actually do something purely for the sake of recognition (as I am confident that none of the 3 heroes that I described would have done), courage is pushing through challenging, and also sometimes life-threatening situations. 

In Case #1, our high-up business executive friend most certainly did not act for any kind of recognition in admitting complicity. He responded truthfully in the court because he understood deep in his soul that a life of shadows and deception will always end in dissatisfaction and failure of almost every sort. While guilty, in an ultimate sense his conviction to tell the truth was grounded in the reality of honesty that transcends his relatively small problems. 

In Case #2, our soldier friend did not act out his embracing of simple altruistic principles. He saved the life of his friend because he was committed to a higher law than self-preservation. He died because he felt the law of love materializing and passionately flowing deep within his bones as he flew through the air to his most certain death. He was not interested in national recognition. Most likely, he didn't get any.

In Case #3, courage might be more difficult to locate. However, if "courage" includes the addendum that I added, courage is not challenging to find at all. The mother understood the greater reality that her children must be trained up with a right understanding that adversity is not overcome by wailing and screaming, but but humble submission to the will of God that can only be attained through prayer and earnest and selfless searching of the Scriptures. She was courageous because she loved her children too much to rest from her duty as a parent and give in to daily chaos and God-dishonoring behavior.

How does this idea of courage work in normal life? The average person is not going to need to jump in front of a charging bayonet. The average person is not going to need to tell the truth in court with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. However, every man, woman, and child is presented with the opportunity to be courageous every day. The mother's courage in training her children rather than succumbing to fatigue was most certainly a courageous act. Having "that" conversation or not avoiding "that" guy or "that" girl in the hallway for the purpose of the greater reality of love for them and for their ultimate good are two ways to display normal, average, everyday courage.

We don't need a near-crisis moment to apply Joshua 1:9 to our walk. All we need is an uncomfortable moment to provide the opportunity to look outside of ourselves for the motivation to make the hard choice.

I posit that the essence of such a motivation is ultimately, love that flows from a pure heart that has tasted of love with which Jesus loved his children as He lived the life we couldn't live, to die the death that we would have died, to give us the inheritance that we will absolutely inherit. When we as believers are gripped by the greater reality of the coming kingdom of God and His totally unconditional love for his people, his people should be able to have the courage to make difficult decisions because we look to what lies ahead, not merely the ground resting under our feet.

Yet again, as always, He is our hope.

.DSN.