There is a story I often refer to when I think about going through a big change in life. It’s a story about a transfer of power from one of the greatest leaders to ever live to another man who was afraid he didn’t have the strength for the new position he suddenly found himself in. It’s the story of Moses and Joshua. After Moses died, his protégé Joshua took over leadership of thousands of people. Joshua was scared to death of the responsibility. Who wouldn’t be? His hero was dead. The people’s greatest leader was dead. Now he was in charge. And he was afraid.
What happens next is my favorite part of the story. It’s the part where an angel comes to Joshua with a message.
He told Joshua to…
Be strong and very courageous.
In fact, the angel of the lord didn’t just tell Joshua to be strong and courageous, he repeated himself…three times. He told him the same thing three times in four paragraphs. The angel had to tell Isreal’s greatest general to be strong and courageous three times in a row.
The truth is, if a warrior like Joshua has to be told repeatedly to be strong and courageous, then I think it’s probably a good thing for you and I to remind ourselves of as well.
Life is hard. You don’t need me to tell you that. You’ve been alive long enough to realize that life is tough. There are two important elements you need to make it though. They are the same two elements Joshua needed. You need to be strong enough to handle everything life throws at you and you need to have enough courage to face each situation.
We need to be reminded to be strong and brave often. We could use the reminder daily. Sometimes hourly.
So every morning it might be a good idea to start our day with the reminder to…
Be Strong
Strength comes in all shapes and sizes. Being mentally strong is just as important as being physically strong. The truth is, it’s probably even more important, because the outside begins on the inside. You cannot be truly strong on the outside without being strong on the inside. A lifeguard who is physically strong enough to save a drowning child from a riptide is useless without having the mental strength himself to plunge into the raging water.
Being strong means different things to different people. For some people getting out of bed before noon is a show of strength. For some people getting out of bed at all is strong. Everyone has battles they face everyday. Sometimes they are physical. Sometimes they are emotional. Sometimes they are mental. But no matter what type of battle it is, it takes strength to face them.
So be strong.
and…
Be Courageous
Nothing good in this world is accomplished without at least a little bit of courage. And sometimes all you need is the strength to take just a little step of courage in the right direction. But the great thing about courage is that it can multiply. Sometimes if you can muster up a little courage to start something, you’ll realize that before long it has multiplied into the courage to continue. And you never know when your tiny bit of courage inspires someone else to act courageously as well. You see, fear and faith are both contagious. Sometimes your courage is not only what you need, it’s also what everyone else needs.
Each day is a battle. Each and every day you have to battle bad thoughts, destructive tendencies, selfishness, hate, and fear. It takes courage to fight those wars every day. I don’t know what your personal war is. I don’t know what tomorrow has in store for you. But I do know that you could use a little encouragement, because we all can. So why not encourage yourself at the start of each day? Why not remind yourself before the battle starts so that you are better prepared when it does begin? So tomorrow when you wake up, remind yourself that you are tough. Remind yourself to be brave. Remind yourself that you have made it this far, and you can make it further.
All you have to do is:
Be strong,
and be very courageous.
