COURAGE!

On Wednesday afternoon, Americans were swept into a storm of words following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Whatever you think of his politics, he was a man of genuine Christian faith, fearless in his convictions, and a leader to millions of America’s youth. What I admired most about him was his courage—his willingness to face opponents directly, answering with humor and wisdom. His boldness inspired countless young Christians to live out their faith, even in the face of cultural contempt.

If we want to live rich and full lives, one of the greatest needs is courage—a willingness to do hard things, to wrestle with convictions, to dig deep for truth. Nobody accomplishes much by drifting with life’s currents or by shaping their values to whatever ideas happen to be blowing in the wind.

But let’s not confuse courage with arrogance or combativeness. Courage doesn’t mean shouting down opponents or charging into every situation ready for a fight. More often, it means choosing to do the right thing, to live the right way, to stay on course despite criticism or circumstances that seem to have gone wrong. Courage resists the urge to react and instead chooses to respond.

In Luke 19, we find the story of Jesus noticing Zacchaeus, a man of short stature who had climbed a tree to see Him. Zacchaeus was a tax collector—an outcast, despised for working with the Romans, and most likely dishonest. Still, Jesus stopped, spoke to him, and invited Himself to dinner at his house. Sitting at a tax collector’s table was not a way to polish one’s reputation—but Jesus did it anyway. Why? Because He saw a man hungry for God, and with courage, He pointed him to life.

What makes the story even more remarkable is that Jesus was just days away from the Cross. He knew the suffering, rejection, and the weight of humanity’s sin that awaited Him in Jerusalem. Yet He kept courageously loving the least and seeking out the lost. Oh, to be like Jesus.

Your life will bring situations that take you where you don’t want to go. People you love will fail you. And, being human, you will make mistakes and live with their consequences. In those moments—will you collapse, or will you “take courage”?

Hebrews 6 offers this assurance: “We who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.” (NLT) What a privilege to rest in Christ, to bring before Him what we did not foresee, and to trust Him as our faithful guide.

Is your heart anchored in the unchanging Christ? That anchor creates courage—keeping us from panic when life’s chaos strikes. Christians can run to Christ for solace and strength. In Him, they find courage to face the day and live for His purposes.

Take Courage, Christian. How?

• Pray constantly. Keep yourself God-aware—even in sighs, silence, or waiting. Share your burdens with Jesus.
• Worship regularly. Not just in a church building, and not superficially, but from the heart—renewing your faith in the Father’s love, every day, everywhere.
• Fill your mind with God’s truth. Scripture is an antidote to fear. (Suggested passages: Psalm 37, Ephesians 1, Romans 8.)
• Practice good self-care. Exhaustion fuels fear. Even Jesus stepped away to rest and renew.
• Choose one faith-filled, forward-focused action today.

The Word points us to the example of Jesus. My prayer is that as you read, you will “take courage,” choosing the right path with steady faith.

“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins.

Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” (Hebrews 12:1-3, The Message)

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“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”  --    Theodore Roosevelt

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