The Heart of a HeroSample

Courage

Courage is a hallmark trait of a hero. It also might cause many of us to question whether we have what it takes to be a hero. Not all of us have had opportunities to discover whether we would or wouldn’t step forth in a demonstration of bravery. Like many of the invitations we’ve explored so far, this one arrives engraved with the questions, will you be brave enough to help another? Will you step into an unknown situation trusting God about the result?

These questions seem intimidating at first glance. Maybe even more so than the call to be compassionate or to be a bridge in a community. For many of us, it isn’t difficult to imagine ways to express deep kindness or to form connections between people or issues. However, it can be difficult to step up and step out to exhibit courage at work, in our family, and in our community.

Too often, we sell ourselves short. We don’t imagine the impact we can have on the people around us. Yet when we pay attention, we will see that the opportunities to be somebody’s hero are endless. They arise within our relationships with families, organizations and businesses, and communities.

The vast majority of the messages we hear and see tell us that life should be easy, exciting, and fun. Courageous people have a very different perspective. A hero knows that great hardships often are the pressure that gradually forms the most brilliant diamonds—if we maintain a sense of hope.

God is good and wise. He allows us to experience heartaches and setbacks so that we learn to trust Him and truly care for others. In fact, without struggles, we would conclude we don’t need God at all. In his letter to the Romans, Paul explains how God uses suffering to refine and deepen us. That our hope rests on the grace God has already demonstrated to us through the suffering and sacrifice of Christ. He suffered not so that we won’t suffer, but so that our suffering will turn us into something great.

God’s grace and our courage make a powerful combination.