I Choose Courage

Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Joshua 1:6-7

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

            Courage is a choice. As I have been reading the book of Joshua, I have seen this constant refrain to be strong and courageous. I have read the book of Joshua many times, and I have noticed before this constant refrain. But, reading the book this time, I realized that being courageous was a choice that Joshua had to make. It was not natural.

Watch a little child. He is tentative. He seeks the reassurance of mom and dad before doing something new. He is unsure whether or not to leave the security of dad’s lap to try something new. As he grows up, he will realize that going with the flow is easier than sticking his neck out into a dangerous unknown. Yet, as that child grows up, he will be told that manhood is leading a life of courageousness. And that man will have to choose courage or irrelevancy.

            As I read the Bible, I do not get the sense that Joshua is tentative or cowardly. He and Caleb are sure that the Hebrew people can capture the Promised Land while 10 other men discourage the people from the pursuit. We do not read of Joshua being hesitant before leading decisive battle after battle in the Promised Land. So why is it that we read this constant refrain of “be strong and courageous” in the story of Joshua? I don’t think it’s because God does not trust Joshua. It is rather because Joshua, like all men, needs to be reminded that he is called to courageous living, and he must choose to be courageous.

            Joshua is commanded by Moses to be courageous (Deuteronomy 31:6 and 31:23).He is commanded by God to be courageous (Joshua 1:6; 1:9, and 1:18). He commands the Hebrew people to be strong and courageous in battle and in defending their land (Joshua 10:25; 23:6).

            We also read of other times when men are called to be strong and courageous. David tells his son, Solomon, to be strong and courageous when he is commission to build the first temple (1 Chronicles 28:20). King Hezekiah tells his troops to be strong and courageous when facing the more powerful army of Assyrian King Sennacherib (2 Chronicles 32:7).  These are both instances when one would need perseverance and courage to do what was being asked.

            It may seem easy for me to tell others to be courageous from the comfort of my office. I have never fought in a war (as did Joshua, David, and Hezekiah’s men, and so many men in my family). And I have the greatest respect for those people who have faced war and battles. I know that they had to make a choice to be strong and courageous, and that was a potentially costly choice to make. While I may not be called to the same life-threatening choice of courage, the decision for me to live courageously for my God, my family, and my friends is still an important choice.

            Jesus spoke of the cost of courageous Christian living. He told people that they would have to daily choose to follow him. He uses the imagery of carrying a cross. The people in his time understood that imagery better than we do today. The cross was the most gruesome form of capital punishment administered by the Roman Empire. One who carried a cross was mocked, humiliated, and rejected. And Jesus tells his followers that they must choose to “take up this cross” daily. It comes with a cost.

A Christian must choose to be strong and courageous. There are times when you may have to be courageous with a gun pointed at your head. There are also times when you must be courageous when your job is on the line, or your family is endangered, or your good name is mocked. There will be times when you must be courageous because no one else will stand up for what is true and right. These are the times when we must be prepared to be strong and courageous. These are the times when we must be reminded of why we are to be strong and courageous. It is at these times when it would be easier to go with the flow rather than sticking your neck out into the dangerous unknown. But, God calls us to something better.

            I choose courage.  I choose to be courageous for my wife and children, for my friends, and mostly for my Lord.

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