Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. When we dare to face the things that scare us; we open the door to freedom. Most of our obstacles will melt away if instead of cowering before them or procrastinating about dealing with them, we make up our mind to walk boldly through them.

Let's not be afraid to take the step we need to take to make positive changes in our life. To fight fear, we must act. Waiting, putting off, or postponing only increases fear. If we understamd enough, we would never be afraid. 

Courage is to take a step forward into an area of difficulty without a solution in mind, but yet feeling that victory is ahead. It is going empty handed, but knowing that God’s hand is stretched out to pull us. Here are some beautiful thoughts derived from the writings of Daniel Schantz.

The legendary Western, The Magnificent Seven depicts a poor Mexican village that is constantly raided by bandits. Desperate, the villagers hire seven gunmen to protect them. Not surprisingly, the children of the village see these colorful gunmen as heroes.

Before the final battle, several boys gather round a gunman named O’Reilly, whose courage they admire. “We are ashamed to live here,” one boy says. “Our fathers are cowards."

Suddenly O’Reilly scolds the boy. “You think I am brave because I carry a gun? Your fathers are much braver, because they carry responsibility, for you, your brothers, your sisters, your mothers. This responsibility is like a big rock that weighs a ton. It bends and twists them. There’s nobody who says they have to do this. They do it because they love you. I have never had this kind of courage."

The boys are humbled by the gunman’s sermon and they begin to see their fathers in a different light.

Movies are about dramatic moments, but real courage is in the quiet, daily struggle to do what’s right. It’s about a mother who lives in a difficult marriage for the sake of her children. It’s about a husband who is faithful to his wife, even when surrounded by temptation. It’s about a teacher who would like to retire but keeps going back because she loves the children in her charge.

Help us to be brave, Lord, not just in times of danger, but every day.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.  Martin Luther King, Jr.