I have a vivid memory of singing a particular song at school chapel when I was a child, an inspiring hymn with words written by two New Churchmen, which began: “As warriors true before the Lord we stand, In battle front awaiting His command.”  This hymn is included in the church liturgy we use in my local congregation, in a short section of hymns entitled “Spiritual Battle.”  

I have been thinking about the messages about spiritual life that we tell ourselves and our kids.  In my experience, we often emphasize being truly loving and kind people, and that message is incredibly important and must always be present, tempering all our words and actions.  But true love and true kindness require more than making ourselves and others “feel happy” in the moment.  Equally important is another message which often seems to get less attention, a message that can be incredibly inspiring to both us and our children:  “Work to be a person who shows courage and endurance by standing up for or holding on to what is true and what is truly loving in the face of the outright attacks or subtle resistance that the forces of evil place in your path.”

We all respect and admire those who show such courage and endurance.  People love the stories of Joseph, David and Goliath, Elijah, Elisha, Joshua, Daniel, Shadrach and Meshach and Abed-Nego, and a number of others, not to mention Jesus.  Why do we love these stories?  One of the reasons must be that these stories showcase people were courageous in the face of trials and who held on to what was true and good, refusing to give up.

Some passages that come to mind: 

After spying out the land of Canaan, most of the spies came back to the children of Israel and reported that the land “devours its inhabitants” and is peopled by “men of great stature.” But Joshua and Caleb, in the face of a congregation that immediately afterwards wanted to stone them, said “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.  If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’  Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us.  Do not fear them.” Numbers 14:7-9

Upon being threatened by Nebuchadnezzar that if they did not worship his golden image along with everyone else, they would be thrown into a fiery furnace, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.’” Daniel 3:16-18 

In answering the disciples’ questions about the end times, the Lord said, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 24: 12-13

And the ultimate example of courage and endurance:  “In brief, the Lord, from His earliest childhood up to the last hour of His life in the world, was assaulted by all the hells, against which He continually fought, and subjugated and overcame them, and this solely from love toward the whole human race.  And because this love was not human but Divine, and because such as is the greatness of the love, such is that of the temptation, it may be seen how grievous the combats were, and how great the ferocity on the part of the hells.” Arcana Caelestia 1690

It has struck me recently that this message of courage and endurance is not only useful for us in our adult spiritual walk, but it is also very well-suited to children, teens and young adults.  Not only is there a highly appealing and inspiring side to this message, it is also a message that commands respect and admiration for the Lord, His church and His teachings, a message that provides the “good cause” that young people tend to look for.

Of course, the obvious question is how to be this courageous in the face of overwhelming opposition or the type of situation that slowly wears us down over long periods of time.  How can anyone be truly courageous?  Where can we “get” courage?  Rev. Cairns Henderson’s wonderful children’s talk on “Courage” makes a point I hadn’t thought of before:  there are two kinds of courage.  The bad kind of courage comes from conceit and the confidence that ‘I can take on anyone or anything from my own superior strength and intelligence.’  The good kind of courage is based on a recognition that “the battle is the Lord’s” (as David told Goliath).  Those who persistently follow the Lord and search for His guidance can learn to confront any situation in life without fear, knowing that they have a supremely wise, strong, powerful and loving Commander.