Values and Courage

 What is Being Courageous all About?

We have heard it stated repeatedly that courage is not the absence of fear.  Those in war are the first to admit that they feel fear when they acted with courage.

Courage comes in two forms.  Physical courage includes things like the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Moral courage can be described as the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement.  It is in these circumstances that courage enables us to stand firm.

The historical biblical account of Caleb and Joshua recounts their reconnaissance mission into the Promised Land.  They saw the same giants as the others who were with them but responded with courage.  Later, Joshua, as he was preparing to lead his army to fight these same giants, was repeatedly reminded to not be fearful but to act with courage.

Acting with courage is your decision to do the right thing regardless of the physical or moral cost.  You do this because of what you value in life.  

• If you value freedom, then you will fight for it.
• If you value your family, then you will protect them. 
• If you value justice, then you will stand up for the falsely accused even if you are his or her only advocate.

When we are courageous, we do the right thing regardless of the possible cost because we are led by our values.

 

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill

 

Sources of Resistance

We Have Enemies and a Secret Weapon

  

Really?  Yes, and the first enemy is ourselves.  We are our own worst enemy when we fail to properly process the many forms of resistance we experience in our lives. 

Friends and associates can also hold us back.  Sometimes they become uncomfortable when we are willing to take reasonable risks that they are not willing to take.  They may try to discourage us in order to remain comfortable with their own state of mediocrity.  This is a great contrast to those in our life who encourage us when we make difficult decisions.  Those are our real friends.

There is also spiritual resistance.  This kind of resistance is unseen but clearly felt. The Apostle Paul described it in the Bible when he wrote, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Paul makes it very clear that we deal with a warfare that is not against people, but against the spiritual powers that operate behind the scenes through people.

So, what is this resistance all about? It's just like football when every yard gained in the red-zone comes with great difficulty.  We all face our own 300 pound linemen, who is intent on seeing that we don't reach the end-zone.  That formidable character may take the form of being disappointed with life, tired and wanting a rest, having lost our vision for the future and an array of other formidable obstacles.  Going all the way in life is not easy.  Some tragically stop having made it 80% of the way. 

Don’t wimp out on the last 20 yards.  Remember, you have a secret weapon for facing down obstacles.  It’s your natural ability that is now combined with experience and influence.  As my friend leading a seminar told us, “You have leverage!”  So, take it and push back on the resistance!

 

"The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable." Sun Tzu

 

Regaining Vision

 We Lose Vision

Helen Keller is quoted as saying, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight, but no vision.”  Only months before her second birthday Helen became blind and deaf as the result of sickness.  However, she defied the odds and became a popular author and lecturer.  Although she lacked sight and hearing, she had a clear vision for her life. 

It is easy to lose our vision for the future when we plod through life trying to make a buck and meet the needs of those around us.  Life can become drudgery, predictable and inward focused.  Unlike Helen Keller, we might decide to play it safe and live an apathetic life.  While it may not be possible for some to regain sight, with effort, everyone can regain vision and hope for the future.

If you lose your vision for your life or your organization find it again by asking yourself questions like these:
What is the greatest benefit that I can offer others?
If money were no object what would I like most to do in life?
Is there something that must be done that I don't see anyone doing?

 

"True morality consists not in following the beaten track but in finding out the true path for ourselves and fearlessly following it." Mahatma Gandhi

 

What's all this Resistance

We Get Tired and Think We Need a Rest

I will not deny that on occasion the press of life gets so great that we legitimately need a forced rest.  Most of the time, however, we are like a long-distance runner who “hits a wall.”  Marathon runners reach a point half way through the race where they believe that they can go no further.  Everything in them wants to stop.  Runners have learned, however, to push through this phase of the race.  Seemingly, from out of nowhere comes a burst of energy, the wall crumbles and they can finish the race. 

It is that way for those of us who run the race of life, as well.  Yes, we are tired, but just on the other side of our desire to rest there is a burst of energy that will take us all the way into the end-zone.  F. Scott Fitzgerald said it like this, “There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.”  Be one who doggedly pursues past "the wall."