Faith | Is your courage unsung? Don’t despair! God sees it

The word “coward” revolts most Americans. I can’t think of anyone who would relish a title like that.

In my book, there is only one step down from cowardice, and that is being a traitor. The tag of “coward” is one of the most despised of all human qualities, and we will do almost anything to avoid it.

I remember when I was in grade school and some kid would dare someone in our crowd to do something we all knew was really dumb. But a few of us might just do it anyway, to avoid the dreaded title of “chicken”.

We don’t want to be a chicken, and we don’t want to be called a chicken, do we? No, most of us would rather face something that scares the living daylights out of us than receive a brand like that.

We love and applaud courageous people, and we despise the cowardly.

In our families, most dads I know want their wives and children to see them as being courageous, because that’s the kind of material of which heroes are made.

When we think of courage, we usually think of death-defying acts or great and heroic sacrifices. We remember the bravery of the young soldiers on D-Day, climbing out of their landing crafts into the cold surf on Omaha Beach in the face of withering German fire.

We recall the steady courage of Captain Sully Sullenberger, who landed US Airways flight 1549 on the Hudson River, after both engines were disabled by a bird strike—ultimately saving 155 lives.

We think of fire fighters rushing into burning buildings to rescue children, soldiers falling on grenades to save their buddies, policemen in the line of fire or the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Americans love and celebrate heroes, those who have shown selfless courage in the face of great odds.

Some have become justly famous, but I’m guessing that most of the courageous choices in our world are made by men and women you’ve never heard of. Most courageous actions will only be witnessed by a few, or perhaps by God alone—who never misses anything.

As Scripture tells us, “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (Jeremiah 23:21, NLT).

More often than not, enormous amounts of courage may be required just to face the ordinary challenges of everyday life.

People who choose to do the right thing, say the right thing, or take an unpopular stand for a right thing—even when the right thing is the hard thing. Even when the right thing means painful personal sacrifice.

We may never be called upon to dive into swift-running river to rescue a drowning child, or pull someone from a burning car, or fight off an attacker to save a vulnerable stranger.

But we may face some choices this week—or perhaps this very day—that will require a bit of courage, humility, selfless sacrifice, or a willingness to walk upstream against popular opinion and a culture that would only mock our choices.

These may be occasions when no one will see or notice that you have chosen the hard path or turned aside from the easier, more comfortable, less risky options. No one will write a book about it, announce it on cable news, like you on Facebook, or hang a medal around your neck.

But you will know, and God will know. “And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:6).

Ultimately, that will count more than a million medals.