Sources of Courage

What motivates/initiates courage?  Sometimes crisis, desperation or any number of things that would confront the saint of God; however there’s another motivation for courage.

Courage can’t be learned in the sterility of classrooms, courage is the result of responding in the heat of challenge.  Several recent movies have underscored that truth.  Your life will bear witness to incidents resulting in a life of courage.

One key source of courage surfaces in the context of relationships and the life of Paul is a prime example of this source.

Acts 28: 15 “he thanked God and took courage”.   Paul was heading Rome for what would prove to result in his martyrdom.  In spite of storms, snake bites and false accusations that would attempt to thwart him, the Lord used some unnamed folk to prompt him to face a dismal future with courage.

These unnamed encouragers didn’t set out that day with the goal of giving the Apostle courage, they simply were “being” themselves rather than focusing on “doing” something.

They identified with him, met him, blessed him and the result was courage.  Courage to face impending death.  We still need those in our lives that will be “en-couragers”; those who initiate courage by their intentional presence.

My journey of life has been filled with such men and women of “being”. Let’s be sources of courage for the courageous!