Eddie Rickenbacker, who was a celebrated war hero, among many other things, said, “I was always afraid. Courage is doing what you are afraid to do; there can be no courage unless you are afraid.”
Courage is necessary for leadership. No one will follow a coward for long. True leaders, the leaders that inspire others to follow, are not afraid to go first. Because someone always has to go first. A true leader is willing to take that leap. A true leader does not send someone else to leap for them. Pastor Chad spoke about David and Goliath to illustrate this point.
David was the forgotten son of a rich man. He had been sent away from home to watch over the sheep. He was around 15 years old. At this time a war was waging. David’s people the Israelites were fighting their enemy the Philistines. The Philistines had an 8 foot tall giant named Goliath on their side. Every day Goliath would taunt the Israelites daring them to send out their best man to challenge him. The winner would make slaves of the other army. The Israelites army was led by King Saul. He did not have the courage to face the giant. The soldiers did not have the courage to face the giant. All looked hopeless.
Meanwhile, at home David was called to his father’s home. His father told him to take food to his brothers on the front line and report back on what was happening. I don’t know what happened to the sheep. I guess they were on their own because David had set out on his journey.
When he got to the front lines he found the army sitting around twiddling their thumbs. David was confused by why no one was fighting. Suddenly Goliath came out and did his taunting thing. David looked around him at these “warriors” who were afraid of the bully. “Will no one fight?” he asked. No one stepped forward. David decided that he was the man/boy for the job.
Instead of stopping him King Saul tried to give David his own armor. It did not fit David and he refused to wear it. David chose three stones and went out to meet the giant unadorned. He had a slingshot that he used to protect the sheep from predators. Swinging it around and around over his head he let it go and hit the giant right between the eyes. The giant fell over dead. David was the hero of Israel and eventually he became king. David was not willing to send someone else to do the dirty work the way that King Saul was. David went from a shepherd to a king because of a single act of courage. That act of courage was the tipping point of his life.
But, there were many years before that happened. During that time he inspired others to follow him. He had a ragtag group of warriors that protected Israel. They set off into the unknown on the word of David. Leaders have the courage to take people to places they’ve never been before. This is another idea that our country was founded on. How many of our ancestors set off into the unknown to find a better life? Someone had to be the first to step into the unknown. Someone had the courage to embrace the unknown. And they instilled that courage into the hearts of their followers.
You can’t let the unknown keep you from taking the leap of faith. Where would we be today if Columbus had been afraid to blindly sail off into uncharted territories? Or the pilgrims had decided it was easier to continue with the status quo or had decided to quit halfway through their journey. It is always easier to quit but they had the courage to seize the opportunity and risk life and limb.
Leaders rarely are the first to see an opportunity. I’m sure others had talked about moving to the America’s and starting a new life. But leaders are the first to seize an opportunity. They didn’t let fear keep them on the sidelines like it does to many people. Unbridled fear results in many missed opportunities. If you don’t conquer your fear you will miss out on opportunities. The person who waits for fear to be gone will never move. Those who have the courage to take risks and those who don’t, experience the same amount of fear. But, you can’t have courage unless you’re afraid.
Pastor Chad gave us four truths about courage.
1. Courage begins with an inward battle
2. Courage is standing for what’s right ALL the time not just when it’s convenient or easy
3. Courage in a leader inspires commitment in their followers
4. Your life expands in proportion to your courage
John Henry Newman said, “Fear not that your life will come to an end, but fear that your life will not have a beginning.” Don’t let a lack of courage keep you from beginning your life. Embrace your fear and take that giant step.
What are you afraid of?
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