COURAGE ISN’T JUST FOR A SELECT FEW

In the novel Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah, central character Liam Campbell finds himself in a bleak situation. His wife, hospitalized with a severe head injury, is in a coma and may not live. How does he tell his two children—a teenage daughter and a small son? The children are aware that mom is hurt. They just don’t understand how serious it is. Liam realizes that lying could create additional hurt, especially if mom dies. Confronted with this tough dilemma, however, he arrives at a significant truth:
      Courage . . . wasn’t a hot, blistering emotion felt only in the hands of men who joined the Special Forces and jumped out of airplanes and scaled unnamed mountains. It was a quiet thing—ice cold more often than not—the last tiny piece you found when you thought everything was gone.
      All of us admire those who exhibit great courage. However, Liam was right. Courage does not belong only to those who serve in the military. Often, it is a commodity that well serves everyone
confronted with difficult moral, social and spiritual decisions (sometimes daily).
      Christians, above all, should understand this. After all, our Lord and Savior once said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NLT). Trusting in Jesus and his promises (such as this one) doesn’t stop the pain, but a strong faith in Him can make the unendurable a bit more bearable.
      I want that kind of faith. Don’t you? And my prayer is that each one of us will continue growing in that faith.
In Christian love,

Lloyd