Courage

Personal Photo: I snapped this photo while I was outside, shocked at the number of blooms for one little bulb. What lovely reminder of what we are all capable of withstanding. The same God who crafted these strong, but delicate blooms crafted each of us. We were made to be strong, created to be courageous for His glory!

I crouched down to look at the tiny blooms of white and gold, my bulky winter jacket scrunching up into my armpits. Although the winter wind howled, rattling the windows of our home, and keeping me inside whenever I had the choice, the crocus bulbs I had planted at the end of last season had not only popped up through the cold and brittle dirt, but they even bloomed! Crocus are some of the first blooming flowers of the season, so I look for them every February and March, itching for the first sign that Spring is really just around the corner. I stood, letting the chilly air seep through my gloves and the harsh wind blow against my thin work pants. As the week tumbled on, the wind stayed in town, and I found myself often peeking out the window to see the delicate petals of those tiny flowers whip one way and then the other, never letting the turbulent, unpredictable weather get the better of them.

As I consider the coldness, the yearning for springtime, and the need for some fresh air and sunshine, I have a hard time believing that this weekend is already Palm Sunday. Considering it feels more like January, rather than the turn of the season, I have been dedicating a bit of time to commemorating and imagining the very first Palm Sunday, the moment when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, was met with joy and honor, knowing that His ministry on earth was coming to a bitter end in just one short week before rising again to be with God. I think about how challenging it is for me to know what Jesus had left to endure, and I have a harder time trying to think about how Jesus must have felt when He entered the city. Amidst the happiness, there must have been a sharp pain of disappointment He felt, already knowing that the same crowds that welcomed Him would soon condemn Him to the cross. I think about the courage it must have taken for Jesus to do it all anyway, simply for His love for each of us. How brave He was to ride into Jerusalem, accept the short-lived honor, and meet every moment of disappointment that came afterwards with nothing but grace and strength.

In much different, and less extreme ways, we too have felt the heavy blanket of disappointment; we know what it feels like for our faces to fall, to suddenly experience a loneliness that aches within us. We feel the chilly wind of winter at the end of a harsh season, take the brunt of someone's ill-timed words or actions, and have to navigate the pain of sadness. I have come to understand that we are able to handle and overcome it, only because of the courage that led Jesus to the cross. We, because Christ showed His strength and overcame sin, death, and the world, are able to conquer those things as well, with Him. We might experience hardships, sting with loss, and more, but we are like the crocus that stand tall in the howling winds that scream outside my windows, and it is important to remember that we have this strength, that we will not give in, and that Jesus's courage is what inspires courage within us all because He demonstrated it first, honored through the first Palm Sunday so long ago.

The truth is that being a believer in Christ is no small calling. While we are accepting the gift of salvation, we also set our goal every day to be like our Savior. He calls us to be kind, gracious, forgiving, wise, and more. These can be quite challenging in a world known to abuse these qualities. Jesus was perfect, and yet the world did not accept Him, so how can we be accepted? When we work hard to demonstrate God's love, and we challenge ourselves to give the reins of our life to the Holy Spirit, and then our efforts are met with abandonment, judgement, and unacceptance, we are reminded of the feeling of disappointment. It can be disheartening. When this happens, we can remember the courage of Christ as He accepted His calling to save the world. We don't have to save the world and can remember that the One who already has is with us, guiding us, and encouraging us to be like Him. We are told in John 16:33 "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." This verse highlights to us the source of courage in our hearts; we find peace in the Lord because Christ has already destroyed the sin that the devil tries to use to shake us up. We can walk away from our disappointment knowing that we are already winners, that Jesus is already the King, and that He is with us to comfort and lead us in every situation.

It is not easy to be kind, to be respectful, to choose to do the right thing. People push us and frustrate us until we struggle with what to do anymore. It can often feel like we are targeted because we demonstrate these traits, or they are abused as weaknesses instead of being recognized as strength. Romans 8:31-34 explains why we should abandon our fear, hold our heads high when we feel disappointed, and stand courageous against the cold, gusty winds of life: " What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." This passage from the Bible goes on to express that " For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). A powerful reading, and an important one to reference when we are faced with disappointment and feel our courage beginning to crumble. Jesus, the same one with the determination to demolish sin and death, is still working on our behalf, always giving us peace, strength, and love, as we make our way to Him. There is nothing but encouragement written here for us to take with us as we go into the world and remember how loved we are, how we are saved, how we can be courageous because the most courageous One is inseparable from us!

Palm Sunday is the time for us all to remember the beginning of Holy Week, the start of Jesus's journey to the cross, and for us to be grateful that He demonstrated such courage, displayed love in the face of anger, and chose each and every one of us to be worth the humiliation, pain, and disappointment He faced before rising from the dead and destroying the devil. It is an important day, a chance for us to welcome Jesus into our lives, to celebrate when He enters the hearts of our peers, and to remain hopeful in times that seem too dark to see through. Joshua 1:9 reads " Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." We can remain courageous because Jesus was courageous first. We can demonstrate love and kindness because Jesus demonstrated it to us. We can walk away from every situation, no matter how challenging, a winner because we are on Jesus's team, and He has already won. Happy Palm Sunday to you all, and God bless!