The Crucible of Courage
We live by faith, not by sight. ~2 Corinthians 5:7 {ESV}
When I read the stories about heroes of the Bible, I wonder if I would have been as courageous. Would I trust in God to give me what I needed? Could I be one of His heroes?
For a long time, I doubted that I could.
But I realize that God provides choices in our life that will teach us just what kind of hero He wants us to be. Each of us enters God’s classroom at different times, in different ways, battling different foes.
But first, let’s be clear. There are visible foes, and there are invisible ones. Most of my life, it’s been the latter which have been much more difficult to identify because I often don’t see ‘em coming! I have lions and tigers and bears in my life. So far.
Late in my career I worked with a group of incredible business folks. They taught me a lot about the global business model which was new to me. As far as I could tell, none were believers except for me. We traveled internationally quite a lot as a team. After dinner, most of them went out to party – to dance and drink together.
I always chose to go to my hotel room, which made for a lot of lonely nights on the road.
Although the decision to stay behind seemed easy, its execution turned out to be overwhelming. The decision was smooth, but getting through the night once I closed the door was hard.
You see, the battle wasn’t with the people I traveled with. Not at all.
We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ~Ephesians 6:12 {ESV}
That verse makes it clear. I wasn’t battling someone trying to beat down my door. I wasn’t even battling the urge to go out the door to join them.
I was battling with the fear that, because of my decision, I would not be noticed. Ever again. The fear of being unnoticed, overlooked, ignored, disrespected was palpable.
In that crucible of a hotel room, God was teaching me how much courage it was going to take to go against my natural instincts. He was teaching me to have the courage to be ordinary in the eyes of the world, to not seek the world for validation. He wanted me to trust that He had this. That He had me.
And I wouldn’t have learned this unless I had taken that first step of courage.
It’s a lesson that keeps on giving. I continue to learn, every time the invisible fear leaks in, that I am loved by a God who created me to be His and to trust that He notices me. All.The.Time.
What is the world asking you to do that you need to choose not to? Where will your crucible of courage be, the place where God will draw the line and ask you to have the courage to trust Him?
Dear God, forgive us when we have backed down from opportunities to choose you rather than the world. Give us the kind of courage that will hone us into the person you created us to be – brave, strong and yours. ~Amen.
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Thanks for this reminder, Diane.