Be Strong and Courageous

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than ever.” – Ambrose Redmoon

Courage is such a strong word. When I think about being courageous I think about skydiving or tightrope walking across the Grand Canyon. I associate this word with conquering the unimaginable and defying the odds.

However, having courage and being courageous is so much bigger than those obvious feats and conquering our largest fears. Courage is present in our everyday lives. Courage is in the small decisions we make everyday.

We make courageous decisions big and small all the time. For some, having a difficult conversation with a co-worker may require more courage than others may need to jump out of an airplane. When we make these decisions, we do not even realize that we are choosing to be courageous. In these moments this choice comes not because of our fear, but because what needs fighting for is more important.

While fear is present when our courage is tested, it is not the defining moment. The defining moments are the ones when you choose to rise above your fear and stand your ground on what matters. Fear can kill dreams, but if you believe in something enough and remember that you have the power to choose to be courageous, you will find that no dream is too big.

As the pastor at my church says every Sunday, “go forth being strong and very courageous.”