The Courage to Begin Already Licked

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch offers his children a definition of courage that has echoed through generations. After the death of the cantankerous Mrs. Dubose, Atticus explains why he sent Jem to read aloud to her each afternoon. The old woman had been addicted to morphine, and she was determined to break free from it before she died — even knowing the pain would be unbearable, even knowing death was already close.

"I wanted you to see what real courage is," Atticus tells his son, "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."

That line sits at the heart of what it means to follow Christ. The Apostle Paul knew he was outnumbered, outmatched, beaten down at every turn. Yet he pressed on. Moses stood before Pharaoh with nothing but a staff and a stuttering voice. David walked toward Goliath with five smooth stones. None of them had favorable odds. Every one of them began already licked.

The world tells us courage means confidence — knowing you will win. Scripture tells us courage means faithfulness — stepping forward when you cannot see the outcome, trusting that the God who called you will sustain you.

Real courage has never required a guarantee. It only requires a God worth trusting.