So Be Strong and Courageous

Deuteronomy 31: 6, 8 (verses 22 and 23 of 145)

Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because GOD, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down. He won’t leave you.

What I appreciate about these final two “Do not be afraid” verses in Deuteronomy is that they offer more than an admonition to not be afraid. Especially because sometimes it is impossible not to be afraid, and fear is an appropriate response.

First Moses gives this advice to the Israelites, and then he turns to Joshua at his side and repeats it word for word. He offers courage in response to fear.

But what exactly is courage? It’s so often equated with bravery which suggests a kind of warrior mentality, which I have never felt in my life. For me, the best definition of courage is a quote I once heard: Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the willingness to move forward despite fear.

On our own, I think, we can be made helpless by fear. That’s why the above quotes are so important. They are a reminder that when we find it impossible to summon courage to move forward through fear, we aren’t alone. God strides ahead of us. God is right here with us. God won’t let us down.

A friend recently sent me a link to a website called YearCompass. There, I downloaded and printed a slim booklet that led me through reflecting on the past year as well as my hopes and dreams for the one on which we have just embarked.

When I got to the section entitled: A Better Tomorrow, I filled it out with things I’d done in the past year to improve my own tomorrow. But when I reviewed the question again, I noted a footnote which explained these are things that leave the world in better shape than we found it, and I realized I had nothing of substance to put there.

Fear has largely paralyzed me over the last few years. I haven’t done much to leave the world in better shape than I found it, but I’d like to. In 2025, I’d like to move forward despite my fears to do things I really care about, not just for myself, but for humanity.

Writing this post led me to a website with quotes on courage, which I share here. And two that stood out to me:

“To try is to risk failure. But risk must be taken because the greatest hazard of life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, live, and love.” ~Leo Buscaglia

“Don’t give into your fears, if you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.” ~Paulo Coelho.

Fear paralyzes. Courage—knowing we have a Helper and Advocate that never tires, never grows weary—is possible even when we are afraid, so we can keep moving forward into life.

Courage is my word for 2025. I recently wrote it in my YearCompass book. And thank you to those of you who shared your words for 2025 with me—Persistence, Behold, Release. I hold them and you in prayer.

Photo by Diogo Nunes on Unsplash