The Courage That Knows It Will Lose

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch gives his son Jem a definition of courage that has haunted readers for generations. After the cantankerous Mrs. Dubose dies, Atticus reveals that she had been fighting to free herself from a morphine addiction before her death — and she had won. He tells Jem, "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."

This is not the courage of guaranteed victory. It is the courage of faithfulness.

Scripture is filled with people who stepped forward knowing the odds were impossible. Moses stood before Pharaoh with nothing but a staff and a word from the Almighty. Esther walked into the king's throne room saying, "If I perish, I perish." Jesus Himself set His face toward Jerusalem, fully aware of what waited there.

The world celebrates courage that wins. God honors courage that obeys. There is a difference. One requires confidence in the outcome. The other requires confidence in the One who calls.

Some of you are facing a situation right now where the math does not work in your favor. You already know how the numbers add up. But God is not asking you to win. He is asking you to be faithful — to begin anyway and see it through. That is real courage.