Courage: Strength of Heart by Kim Reisman

Courage is one of the few virtues that has never gone out of style. To have courage always has been and probably always will be laudable in the eyes of both secular society and the community of faith. The Greek word for courage, andrea, literally means “manliness.” In Latin, the word is fortitudo, literally meaning physical strength. That’s where we get our physical and heroic ideas about courage. This connotation of courage has been reinforced by the fact that both the Greek and Latin words for courage have always had military overtones. For instance, courage for Plato was the virtue of the soldier. It’s interesting, however, that in the entire New Testament, the Greek word for courage is never used. Instead, when speaking about courage, the Bible uses words that relate to the heart: strength of heart, boldness of speech, endurance of faith and hope.

To be sure, there is a physical element to courage. It is natural evidence of grace, which some even call a biological grace. It’s evidenced every time a woman undertakes the physical rigors of pregnancy and risks her life during the trials of childbirth. It’s seen in firefighters and police officers and emergency medical personnel as they respond without hesitation to the needs of others. It’s seen in every “good Samaritan” who stops to render aid. It happens often without a great deal of thought when our bodies seem to react more from adrenaline than from any amount of intellectual decision-making. The saying “courage is fear that has said its prayers” hits the mark.

The physical element of courage provides a foundation for its meaning. For in its most basic sense, courage is the ability to withstand fear or the threat of pain or death. However, courage isn’t limited to the purely physical; there is a moral element as well. The fear we face in our lives doesn’t always stem from the physical arena, nor does the pain. Thus, courage is needed in all areas of our lives: physical, mental, emotional, social, moral, and spiritual. Some have even said courage is the necessary ingredient for all the other virtues. We can’t be just in today‘s world of injustice and oppression without courage. We can’t live temperately in today’s world of extremes without courage. We can’t love in today’s world of hate without courage.Yet, for courage to be courage, it can’t stand alone; it needs the other virtues. There is a large difference between courage that faces danger for a just, wise and good reason, and “guts” that face dangers for any reason at all. Courage needs the other virtues to keep it a true virtue; for there is no virtue in courage done for a valueless or malicious cause.

Biblical courage incorporates the physical and moves beyond it to relate to the heart. This intimately connects courage to faith and hope. Courage is action rooted in the conviction that we are not alone. It’s the fruit of life grounded in a trusting heart. Paul spoke of this grounding in trust when he asked, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?” (Romans 8:35). He connects faith and courage again with his answer: not one thing! No one! Nothing! “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans8:38-39).

Biblical courage, Christian courage, is to live with the knowledge that we are not alone. It’s faith that rests on “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). Through our faith, God empowers us with a bold heart, which is courage expressed in daily living.

As you pray and fast this month, consider the idea that courage is the expression of a trusting and bold heart. It is to live with the knowledge that we are not alone. I will be praying as well – that you would face the challenges in your life with courage, absolutely confident God is with you, for we are not alone.