Monday, June 9, 2014

Courage

"Mom! Look at me!" cried M before he jumped into the pool. He then proceeded to swim across to the other side, hoist himself out and began the process all over again. Of course my heart swelled with pride and amazement. There were days when I have thought that he would never learn how to swim.

When M was 2, I made the mistake of letting him watch "Finding Nemo" at the beginning of the summer. What was the big deal? It's Pixar! This led to him being terrified for two summers. He was convinced that if he went in the water, invisible jellyfish would attack him. Never mind that we only swam in chlorinated pools. Never mind that the lifeguard at the pool spent 10 minutes trying to convince him. We were all wrong and he was doomed to be stung.

Last summer, we finally got him to go in the water and we were able to do swim lessons. Progress! This year, he has been an absolute fish. It is neat to watch him come into his own, and to see his courage grow.

Courage comes in many forms. It can be seen in the quiet battle of a cancer patient as she endures chemo every week. It can be seen in the heroic firefighter saving the life of a dozen people from a burning building. But what does courage look like in the bible? David and Goliath? Mary giving birth to Jesus? How do those moments of courage relate to us?


Joshua 1:9 

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”


Philippians 4:13 

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.



Ephesians 6:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

I think that being courageous in Christ is not about standing there and trying to psych yourself up in order to accomplish the task before you. The strength of the Lord is already in us. The Holy Spirit lives in us which means we have infinite amounts of courage and strength. I think that the key to tapping into what is already there is to renew our minds and receive His power. Remember what has already been done and stand firm in His promises. If we ask Him for this, He is more than happy to remind us and encourage us. Whether it is through others, through the scriptures, or through His sweet voice whispering in our ear, courage is available all the time. So go ahead and jump in! The water is fine:)


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