Courage, But Fear First

Courage comes in two forms: staying the course knowing that difficulty is on the horizon, and staying the course while in the midst of difficulty. The former is often referred to as courage, while the latter refers to fortitude.

Courage should be set off against fearlessness, or the state of having no fear. The truly courageous person fears; indeed, they may fear greatly. But what they do not do is act out of fear or, perhaps even worse, fail to act. Put another way, the courageous person will fear but appear fearless in demeanor and action.

Courage is more than standing your ground in the midst of battle or even enduring when suffering is nearly upon you. It is a kind of strengthening of the will, a determination to stand and resist. Indeed, it takes courage to face the truth, as Oedipus did, and as we must do each day—whether toward that which takes place around us or that which transpires within the soul. Steeling the will to face the truth, especially when it may bring unwanted consequences, is at the very heart of human courage.

This is why it is inaccurate to regard a horse charging into battle as acting courageously when it does not understand the presence of danger. In this case, no doubt a horse recoils in pain, can be startled, and may react adversely to being rushed upon, but the horse was not up the night before contemplating its mortality or whether it would ever make it home to the family farm. Likewise, a person acting in a seemingly courageous way while unaware of the danger is not afraid and, as such, cannot exercise courage.

Fear must come first, then courage. Courage is exercised when you speak the truth you believe you will be ridiculed for. Courage is getting on the roller coaster when you are afraid of heights. Courage is trying new food knowing that you may not like it. Courage is asking a girl out on a date. Courage is saying “yes” to that ask. But for all of this courage, the greatest act of courage was that performed by Jesus Christ, knowing that He would become a curse for us and, as a result, endure the wrath of God upon Him. As such, to be like Christ demands courage. To be truly Christian demands that we be courageous.

If you desire to find the truth, you must be courageous. If you desire to be moral, you must be courageous. If you desire to be just, you must be courageous. If you desire to be happy, you must be courageous. And to be courageous, you must first be afraid.
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Lastly, courage must be practiced. Throughout the days, months, and years, certain fears will arise or will be seen in the not-too-distant future—small fears, big fears, financial fears, health fears, and more. Practice courage, and in so doing, prepare yourself to be a person defined by courageous demeanor and action.

So when you are afraid, remember: the moment of fear is the moment for courage.