The Bravest Person I Ever Knew

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch tells his son something that catches the boy completely off guard. After the death of Mrs. Dubose — a bitter, sharp-tongued neighbor the children dreaded — Atticus says quietly, "She was the bravest person I ever knew."

The children can't believe it. This frail old woman who shouted insults from her porch? Brave?

But Atticus explains. Mrs. Dubose had been addicted to morphine for years. Before she died, she was determined to leave this world free from its grip — even though she knew the end was coming regardless. She endured weeks of agony, fighting withdrawal with nothing but raw willpower, knowing she would gain no earthly reward for her suffering. She simply wanted to die beholden to nothing.

"Real courage," Atticus tells Jem, "is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."

That is the shape of biblical courage. It is not the absence of fear or the guarantee of victory. It is faithfulness when the outcome is uncertain. It is Abraham walking up Mount Moriah. It is Daniel kneeling to pray with the window open toward Jerusalem, knowing full well about the den of lions.

The Almighty never promises His people easy roads. He promises His presence on every one of them. And sometimes the bravest thing you will ever do is simply begin — knowing that He who called you is faithful.