Courage by Remembering

When Luke was a newborn, we lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Dallas.  We didn't sleep well in the same room with Luke. He kept making little baby noises that woke us.  So, he got the bedroom and we got the sleeper couch in the living room.  The sleeper couch with the metal bar that ran right under the middle of my back.  For a year.  I think if you look carefully, there may still be an indention!

When we moved and got a real bed, we said we would never forget what a blessing that new mattress was to us.  But, we very quickly stopped remembering God's gift of a bed and the difference it made.  I am so thankful that God is patient with me.  There are so many great things He does for me again and again.  And, I seem to forget faster than I notice.

Remembering what God has done for each of us is vital to trust and courage.  Certainly, remembering that He sacrificed His Son, Jesus.  But, also remembering all those other things He constantly does for me.

God's advice when we need courage is to remember what He has done for us, what our eyes have seen.  Deuteronomy 7:17-19 is an example:  "If you should say in your heart, 'These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?' you shall not be afraid of them; you shall well remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt:  the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and wonders and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD you God brought you out.  So shall the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid."

What do you remember that God has done for you, especially when you needed courage?  Remembering these, telling your children the stories, and letting them see God's Hand in small and big will help them trust and have courage.  Sometimes we want to insulate our children from the hard times, but the stories of God's provision and care when we follow Him and when things are hard are the stories that they will remember when they need courage.

Two suggestions to help our children.  First, step out with faith and courage so your children can see your courage and so you have stories to tell them.  Your example, not just in words but actions, is powerful in creating bravehearts.  What can you trust God for right now that takes courage?

Second, remember, somehow.  We are keeping a bulletin board in our hallway where we stick pictures and notes that help us remember God's care for us.  Every time I look, I realize how easily I forget.  And, I realize how many things I have probably not noticed or told myself that I would remember and didn't.  Maybe you use a bowl of notes.  Maybe a scrapbook or a journal.  Maybe it is the side of your refrigerator.  Our children need to see and hear our stories of faith and courage to begin their own.

Then, help them to find their own way to remember.  David remembered that God had delivered him from paw of the lion and the paw of the bear.  That memory convinced him that God would deliver him from Goliath.  Noticing God's care and power, then remembering, builds bravehearts.

Never the Same

Young David’s comment to King Saul about Goliath is a bold one, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” While we all appreciate David and his confidence in God, a courage that is exemplary, think for a moment about the other guys. They were looking for blankets to cover their heads.

“When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid.” How many saw and fled? “All the men of Israel.” They all had the same opportunity as David, a chance to trust God, to show courage and be a braveheart. The opportunity to be rich, to marry the king’s daughter, and to be free was theirs. But they did not take it, they lost heart. Their courage crashed.

Why did they not try? They said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up?” Goliath didn’t change from XXL to Medium for David. He was still the same brute who taunted God’s men. But, David had courage. It could be that David was less afraid than others: he was young, and youth sometimes hasn’t lost as much heart as older folk. It could be he had more courage because he had beaten some wild animals and Goliath didn’t seem any worse. It certainly was that in his soul he believed God would deliver him. David had courage to seize the opportunity when others ran. And, his life was never the same. As our children become bravehearts and face fears, their lives will never be the same either.