I recently noticed a sign which said, “It takes courage to succeed.” I began think about that…first, what is meant by courage, and second, what is meant by success?
Courage is reflected clearly in the concept of walking through fear to face a worthy cause head-on. Success is rooted in living for and establishing a lasting legacy of character and integrity. Do I exhibit these….? I certainly strive for that. These concepts immediately prompted me to address true courage with the following questions:
- Do you have what it takes to stand when others can’t or won’t? If you do, you have courage.
- Do you have the guts to speak up for the weak and defend those who lack? If you do, you have courage.
- Do you have the stomach to stand on a platform for a cause that is needed? If you do, you have courage.
- Do you have the faith to stand for your faith despite what others think or say? If you do, you have courage.
- Do you have the drive to be where you say you will be, say what you need to say, and honor people by returning their calls, emails, or texts? If you do, you have courage.
- Do you have the integrity to confront the enemy with love knowing the enemy is still the enemy? If you do, you have courage.
- Do you have the strength to protect and serve for the cause of freedom, safety, and liberty? If you do, you have courage.
- Do you possess the heart to love enough to draw healthy boundaries with people or habits? If you do, you have courage.
- Can you say “NO” when you need to despite others prompting you to always say “YES”? If you do, you have courage.
- When others turn their backs on you because they are too weak at heart, will you stand, even alone, if need be? If you will, you have courage.
- Are you willing to take off your mask of inauthenticity and proudly show your scars of imperfection? If you are, you have courage.
Courage, as you can see, is very broad ranging. It is NOT for the weak or faint hearted. Neither is it a word that should be used to describe many. It is a descriptor of someone that is rare, unique, and wears scars, bruises, and marks from battles, whether from life, war, or both.
God knows this about me….I trust HIM to give me the strength to exhibit courage in all aspects of my life. I know it is not and will not be easy. However, COURAGE is a word I can only hope is used at one time in my life to describe me. May God strengthen me to that end. So I ask you…do YOU have courage?
