Courage Under Fire

While it may seem like a catchy phrase, the title of this piece really sort of irritates me.  I often find myself thinking about writing just this thing that I am writing now and it is meant to be all about things that attack one’s courage.  You know, things that make us fearful.  But that is not what it is about at all.  I knew this, but I just really wanted to be clever and make a play on the phrase and take it in a new direction.  I just can’t bring myself to do it.

So this piece is about actually having courage in the face of danger.  Where does it come from?  How do we get it?  What does it actually look like?  I want to try and answer these questions and maybe a few more.

First, I think it is important to note that I am not referring to a physical fire fight here but these principles would apply.  I’m writing about the fire we undergo while simply going about our lives.  Think about it; The Devil has one desire.  All that he wants to do is steal from you, kill you and destroy all there is left of you.  His one desire is to completely consume you.  God, on the other hand, want only to love you and fix you.  The enemy of our souls is very cunning and is constantly attacking us on every side.  Most of us are blissfully unaware of this (as mentioned in an earlier post), but once we wake up we realize that we are under constant fire and then we freak out. 

Now, we have a mighty Father who loves us.  This means that He is in the business of protecting us and strengthening us to overcome the enemy.  Where does courage come from?  It comes from knowing that you are loved by God.   I’m not just referring to knowing that this is what the Church teaches.  I’m talking about recognizing the reality of this love and embracing it.  When you accept the fact that you are accepted, the love of God quite literally crashes through the wall and throws fear out on the street.  This is no ordinary love, friends.  This is the love that motivated the Son of God to lay down His life for sinful humanity.  This is the love that spread His arms out on the cross so that we could run to the arms of the Father.  This is the love that chose you.

Recognizing the reality of God’s love for you is done simply though asking Him to show you.  It is His part to tell you who you are.  He gives you your value.  He reveals His love to your heart.  If you ask Him to open up your heart in such a way that you can realize His love, then that is just what He will do.

This is how we are able to have courage in the middle of the fire fight.  The bullets are real and the danger is all around us.  We would be foolish to ignore that fact.  However, we are loved.  I know, you might be thinking that God loving you does not quite make up for the fact that you could get hurt.  But that would only be if you were playing in the shallows of His affections and merely acknowledging His love.  Swim into the deep, let Him wrap His massive heart around you, and you will see that His love far outweighs any danger that we may be subjected to.

You can always notice the brave ones.  They are aware of the fight.  They are aware because they are in it.  They are in it because they have courage.  They have courage because they know who they are.  They know who they are because God has told them that He loves them.  Their identity is wrapped up in the love of the Father and they are not afraid of the terror that comes in the night, nor the arrow hat flies by day.

As a prayer for you and the rest of the tri-state, I pray for your heart to be open to receiving the love of the Father is such an encounter that it transforms who you are.  May the God of love who watches over you day and night be so close to you in the days ahead that you become renowned for your acts of bravery.

Peace, Dave