An Example of Christ-like Courage
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ”
Courage is a popular quality we all desire. My childhood was in the military, and courage was often described in macho ways, as a gang of us used our toy guns to kill the invisible enemy. With maturity comes an expansion of the definition of courage. In the same way, strength is a lot more than who is better at physically hurting the other person; courage is more than just facing physical threats.
Courage comes in many forms. Some of the most courageous individuals I have ever known have been some of the most physically weak I’ve ever met. When I was in seminary, I served a church in Northwest Indiana as a youth director. Five years later, I returned as their pastor. While I was in seminary, one of the girls in my youth group was nice yet troubled. After I graduated and moved to another church, the girl became addicted to drugs. She pulled herself together and joined Narcotics Anonymous. When I returned as her pastor, she was now a young woman with two children. She was married to a man she met at N.A.
One day, she was doing laundry. The furnace was in the same room as the washer and dryer. She carried the laundry basket into the room with a cigarette in her hand. The furnace had a gas leak. The explosion blew her into the street, and she was burned over seventy or eighty percent of her body. Miraculously, her two young children were playing in the living room and were unharmed. She spent several weeks in the hospital’s burn unit. The pain was indescribable. At the first possible opportunity, she stopped the pain medication, choosing to suffer rather than risk her sobriety. Her courage amidst pain, for the love of her children, is my picture of courage.
Today, think about the courageous people you’ve witnessed in your life. I am willing to bet the courage you respect has as much to do with care, love, and sacrifice, as the actual courage. Most of the earth continues to be awed by Jesus’ courage because of his sacrificial death. We are impressed with the courage, but it is the sacrifice that makes the lasting difference. Pray that God will give you not only courage but the sacrificial compassion that makes your courage worthwhile.
