I recently read a quote that went something like this, 'Courage is fear that has said its prayers – and decided to go forth anyways'.
There's a lot to say about courage. I guess courage isn't the absence of fear, it just means that fire overcomes fear. That sounds way more corny than anticipated. To illustrate: Say I have a baby, I would do everything to keep that baby safe. One day a snake comes between me and the baby. Even though I'm dead serious about not going near snakes, I would step over the snake and get the baby, because I don't want the baby to get hurt. You know? That's what courage does. In the face of a clear and imminent threat you take deep breaths and step over that fear into whatever fuels the fire within you.
The fire compels and drives us. The fire sets us free from the smallness of our thinking and it opens up a world of endless 'Fire vs. Fear' moments. How we choose to respond in those moments affects our lives greatly. In John 6:39-40 Jesus says, “And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day." In that passage there's an undertone of, 'Whatever the cost...' Can you hear it? Jesus did everything so that we might be lifted up with Him. While He was sitting with the cup He asked God if it was possible for the cup to pass – let it please be so – but above all else God's will be done. And God's will was done. Jesus was sweating blood, and the Bible says, '...For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross...' The fire that burned in Jesus, the fire that compelled Him to do what He did, overcame anything else that could've posed a threat to that purpose.
I pray we take to heart what He did and do the same. Even though we're scared out of our minds, even though the task seems daunting, even though we're sweating blood, may we turn to that fire that God set alight in us, and step over the fear into a world that needs to be ignited. That may look for each and every one of us.Beat the fear, and go to the grave empty. We only have this chance to pour out everything that's in us, those things that God so lovingly poured into us.