Ok, let me start out by saying there are a million different directions we could go with a title like that. Are we climbing mountains? Braving disease? Embarking on a dangerous voyage? Facing down dragons?
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Yes. Yes, in fact, we are.
Every day we brave challenges. Sometimes small, but often much bigger than we know how to manage. And sometimes we feel more like hiding behind a boulder than pulling out a sword and charging at our metaphorical dragons.
Why Might We Prefer to Cower?
But why? Why in the world would we prefer to cower or hide? We may ask ourselves this question late at night when rehashing how we handled our day or dreading dealing with tomorrow.
So let’s tease this issue apart a bit. Hiding from the struggles of life feels safe. And maybe in a way, it is. We don’t risk falling off a cliff if we don’t try climbing the summit. We don’t risk failure if we never face taking an exam. You get the idea. It feels very safe to forgo the risk.
But the problem is, if we never take on challenges, we never grow.
Well, that’s almost true. We definitely miss out on tons of learning and growth when we hide out in our rooms scrolling facebook instead of engaging in life, with all its risks, challenges, and rewards.
But like I said, it’s almost true that if we go for the cowering or the hiding, we will never grow. Almost, but not quite. Because sometimes we can’t hide, no matter how much we might want to. Sometimes life’s challenges chase us down and there’s no escaping them.
You knows what I’m talking about – injury, illness, disease, violence, financial problems, family troubles, betrayals at work or even by friends. And if you think none of this will happen to you, well, just wait. We all experience the storms of life. And sometimes they feel like they’re nonstop.
So how do we summon up the courage to deal with it all?
Be Strong and of a Good Courage
After Moses died, the Lord came to Joshua and called him to be His prophet and to lead His people. Not only did He command Joshua to lead them, He commanded him to lead them to conquer a new land. Now, we don’t know exactly how Joshua felt about all this. Grief for his mentor, Moses? Probably. Anxiety, fear, or concern about the tasks ahead of him? The heavy burden of responsibility for leading all of Israel?
What we do know is that God told him again and again, “Be strong and of a good courage.” The repetition implies that Joshua was struggling and needed the Lord’s help. God also commanded Joshua to follow the law. He told him not to be afraid or dismayed. Finally, God promised, “the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:6,7,9).
We can learn several things from Joshua’s experience. He suffered a loss, no doubt about it. He also experienced new responsibilities and challenges that most would consider overwhelming.
What was God’s response? Be strong. Have courage.
I think sometimes courage is a choice. Do we indulge our grief or fear? Or do we grow and heal and rise above it? Of course in the moment of challenge, we may freeze a little. But we can’t remain that way. It’s like Mufasa taught in Lion King, “I’m only brave when I have to be. Being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble.” It has more to do with taking action despite our fear.
President Thomas S. Monson explains it this way, “Of course we will face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle…Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully, but as the determination to live decently…Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well” (Courage Counts).
In other words, being strong and having courage requires action despite fear.
Replace Fear With Love
Love is the Opposite of Fear. 1 John 4:18 explains, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
2 Timothy 1:7 continues this theme. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.”
When we feel overwhelmed and afraid, we can find peace in the love of God. We can find grace and strength as we trust the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
One way we may experience fear is in the “vain imaginations” Nephi mentions when he describes the “large and spacious” building he and his father saw in vision (1 Nephi 12:18). When we indulge our fears, we imagine the worst happening in our lives. These imaginings are definitely in vain. These fears may never come to pass. And dwelling on them doesn’t prepare us even if they did happen. Instead, trust that God will lift and sustain you, whatever may come in life.
Let us not waste another minute of our lives paralyzed by fear. Choose love and trust instead. When we face our fears, they diminish. When we lean on the Lord and let His love fill us and heal us, we find ourselves stronger, more capable, and more courageous.
Choose Obedience
When God taught Joshua about fear and courage, he also taught him obedience. He commanded him to follow the law. He promised Joshua that as he did so, his way would be prosperous and he would experience success.
Now, we know God was not expecting Joshua to be perfect. What He was expecting was a sincere effort. In a quick read through Joshua chapter 1, we may assume that God promised to be with Joshua as a reward for his obedience or conditional upon his obedience. However, a close examination of verse nine shows us otherwise:
“Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.”
He didn’t say, “the Lord thy God is with thee if thou art obedient” or “provided you are perfectly following the law” or “as long as you don’t experience fear.” Instead, He promises that He is with us. This is reason enough for us to have courage and to rise beyond our fears. The Lord is there for us, ready to help, as soon as we are ready to trust Him and ask.
Discover Your Purpose
In Moses 1:39, the Lord tells us, “This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”
From this verse, we learn several things. One is that nothing brings God more joy, nothing brings Him more glory, and in nothing does He exert more effort than in trying to save us. Knowing this can help us have faith and trust that He will strengthen and refine us as we face the struggles of life.
In Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl describes his experiences in the Jewish concentration camps. He observed many people struggle and many die. But he noticed that those who survived shared something in common. They felt they had a great purpose in life, that surviving their suffering bore great meaning. Perhaps their family depended on them. Or maybe they had a significant work they needed to complete. Whatever the case, understanding their purpose and retaining a vision of what they felt impassioned to do helped them have the courage and strength to survive.
As Frankl wrote, “Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how.’”
Julianne H. Grose discusses how we can find our own individual talents and purpose in life in her BYU talk, Finding Your Purpose: “Too often we compare ourselves to the one person who seems sure of their path rather than to the twenty who, like us, are searching for their path. What I do know” she says, “is that in all cases our ability to utilize our time, energy, and talents is completely dependent upon our Father in Heaven and on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Not only are we dependent on Them to become our best selves, but this is Their greatest desire for us.”
Discovering and pursuing our purposes in life can grant our struggles tremendous meaning and can help us persevere. As you strive to understand your individual purposes, consider what you feel excited or passionate about. Seek the Lord’s guidance on how these things might be meaningful in your life and to others.
Finally, as with Joshua of old, the Lord gives us a command and a promise: “Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (Joshua 3:5).
Practical Steps You CAN Take
- Try new things. Embrace challenges so you can experience growth.
- Accept that life is sometimes very hard. But with God’s help, you can triumph.
- Recognize that courage is the choice to act despite fear. It is an act of faith and trust in yourself and in God.
- When you find yourself feeling anxious or dwelling on frightening possibilities, cast those thoughts aside. Recognize them as vain imaginations. Turn to God and allow His love to fill you, heal you, and grant you strength. If you have a specific fear, face it rather than letting it grow bigger and stronger.
- When in doubt, obey. In fact, obey even when not in doubt. We’re not perfect, but when we make sacrifices for the Lord and for the gospel, He blesses us. We gain strength, courage, and self-discipline in the process. Furthermore, as we obey, our testimonies grow. “…ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6).
- Recognize that God is there for us, no matter where we are in life. He is reaching out His hand to us, waiting for us to turn to Him.
- Seek to understand your individual purposes in life. Let your passion for these purposes fill your life and bring you meaning.
- Hold steady. The Lord will work wonders among you.
As Thomas Monson once said, “May we muster courage at the crossroads, courage for the conflicts, courage to say no, for courage to say yes, for courage counts” (Courage Counts).
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