Beware the Coward

Sometimes, life gets hard.

Dreams are forced to change.

Loved ones die.

Effort and heart are rewarded with pain.

Temptations arise.

The things we built collapse.

We are bound to face our fair share of challenges, and we are tethered to the regret of how past difficulties have been dealt with.

We can be left feeling weak, hopeless, and in despair. But when we struggle, we are not the only ones to do so.

How many people have fallen into grief and let it control their minds?

How many have accepted defeat and lost sight of hope?

How many have surrendered to fear?

When the devil asks for a dance, taking his hand can seem like the only option. Getting pulled into his world can seem like the only path out. And it can be so tempting to settle into an easy two-step following his lead. It can be tempting to give up and admit defeat.

But there is always a second path—a path that seems to go against our very nature, a path that requires a lot of us. 

We often stand at a crossroads. In fact, I think humans have faced such decisions since the beginning of man. In ancient tales, Hercules is said to have been led to a fork in the road. One path ensured him pleasure and indulgence, while the other promised hardship and virtue. His choice molded him. I doubt we would have marble statues erected of him had he chosen the former road.

What allows some people to choose the path facing hardship when others fall?

Faith? Hope? God? Friends? Family? Humility?

Certainly, all of the above is the correct answer, and I do want to touch on all of them at some point. But today, I want to focus on one in particular: Courage.

Yes, courage, because without courage, we become slaves to fear. Without courage, we can be driven by whoever holds the largest whip. Without courage, we lack intentionality, we forfeit our God-given opportunity to make a choice. Without courage we are cowards.

Cowards are dangerous. They serve those who instill the most fear in them. They cannot act on decisions based on right and wrong since they are ruled by others. They cannot do what is good because the cost is too great. A good person is capable of the worst atrocities and immoralities if he lacks courage. We must beware the coward, and we must recognize that we are called to be courageous.

What examples do we have to remind us that courage is an absolute necessity for a good life?

I think of Harriet Tubman, who risked facing a tortuous death to free fellow slaves in 19th-century America. She undertook 13 missions to save family, friends, and strangers. Imagine the courage it takes to open the shackles of another.

I think of a young schoolboy standing up to bullies and, as a result, getting bullied himself. Imagine the courage required to take on the burden of abuse to free another.

I think of the firefighters rushing into the collapsing buildings of the World Trade Center as people flee in the opposite direction. What sort of courage must be summoned to run through smoke and fire to save a life?

I think of a shy girl asking a question in class. No act is too small to be considered brave. Imagine the courage she had to muster to raise her hand.

I think of Jesus allowing himself to be captured and flogged. He carried His cross to the place where He would be executed painfully. He held fast to His faith. Imagine the courage it took to rise to His calling.

With the death of courage comes the death of doing right, acting virtuous, being honest, and serving God. A life in cowardice is a life without intention dictated by fear.