Women of Conviction: Courage
As a role model for all women, Queen Esther had great courage and faith in God. She heroically said these now unforgettable words: “. . . and if I perish, I perish” (Old Testament, Esther 4:16). Please watch this 3-minute video that dramatizes the courage of Esther and three other women.
A dictionary definition of courage is this: “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty”.
My definition of courage is similar: DO what needs to be done WHEN it needs to be done WITHOUT hesitation.
I was not born with great courage. It was a character trait that I had to slowly develop. I always felt quite shy and awkward around other people and only got involved in an activity when pushed to do so by someone else.
When I was in junior high school, my older sister decided I should be a cheerleader. She took it upon herself to teach me a cheerleading routine and would not let up, even when she realized how uncoordinated I was at the time. I remember running to my bedroom many times and crying because I couldn’t do it right. She would impatiently drag me out of my bedroom, tell me I could do it, and insist that I keep practicing! When the elections were held in the spring, I was shocked to find out I had won! My sister’s perseverance had been rewarded! Because of her, I was forced to put my shyness on the back burner when I was being a cheerleader.
When I was going into high school, my older brother decided that I should be on the drill team. Our high school drill team was the best in the state at the time, and for some reason he thought I should be a part of it. I told him that I wasn’t good enough to try out. So, he recruited one of his friends, who happened to be the captain of the drill team, and she taught me everything I needed to know to prepare for try-outs. To my surprise, I made the team! Once again, my shyness had to be redirected when I was performing with the drill team in front of an audience.
However, having a few successful experiences of breaking through my fears did not bring me great courage. It was still not one of my emotional strengths. It was only through the pain of many disappointing experiences, where I totally lacked the courage I needed, when I resolved to change.
I believe we can all learn to be courageous people who know how to, “DO what needs to be done WHEN it needs to be done WITHOUT hesitation.”
Some of my favorite Quotes
“Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency.
We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.”