When Courage Isn’t Sexy

There is a kind of courage authors use as their clay for the molding of a love story. It’s the same fabric directors use to weave together a cape for their hero. A courage that wins the girl, saves the world, and lives to tell the tale. The “sexy” kind of courage.

Then, there’s the courage that’s not nearly as attractive. It’s less of a leap into the CEO’s chair and more of a step into the whisper of God. It’s the courage of owning up to a poor decision that hurt an employee. The courage of stepping onto the road of reconciliation with a family member. A courage that may not be sexy, but surely is good.

We may be slower to speak of this side of courage, but it’s the courage effective leaders must practice often.

Before God gives Joshua one of the most popular commands in scripture, “Be strong and of good courage” (Joshua 1:9), He delivers a perspective-shifting promise:

“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.”- Joshua 1:3

Notice God uses future tense for Joshua’s steps, but past tense for Joshua’s inheritance. An incredibly hopeful truth for us today is God has already secured promises for His children. We just need to step into them.

The key to this perspective of courage is knowing the promises of God. We must know the territories God has promised us if we are going to step and lead others into them.

One example of the countless territories that God has claimed for His children is rest. Stepping towards this territory is not always “sexy.” You may be running on empty and feel as if you cannot let your employees know, but Jesus knows and has secured rest for you.

“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”- Matthew 11:28

Your step towards this promise may require being vulnerable and vocalizing your valley to those around you. Or requesting time off. Or declining the promotion. Whatever step you need to take towards this promise, you can take with good courage knowing he is with you and has secured rest for you on the other side of the step.

Good courage is the faith-fueled step through the fog and into the future grace that God has promised His children. And we lead of good courage by bringing others along for those steps. The steps may look different for each one of us, but any step towards the promises of God is the withdrawing and wielding of the good courage that He has instilled in the heart of every one of His children.

What promise do you need to step towards today? It may not be a sexy step fit for a top-selling novel, but it will be a step into the glorious story that God is writing for your good and His glory.

 

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You can dive deeper into the topic of courageous leadership by joining us for Catalyst West on April 12-13 in Orange County, California. This life-giving experience will feature Andy Stanley, Lysa TerKeurst, Bob Goff, Robert Madu, and many more! Check out more event details and purchase your tickets here.