Signora Sheila

In light of my post yesterday on vaccine mandates, some comments have caused me to reflect. Comments that expressed concern for our situation or praised our courage in following our convictions. It was the latter that gave me pause.

I don’t feel courageous, and doubt that I have what it takes to be heroic. Those qualities belong to heroic figures like Daniel, Esther, Stephen, and the apostles. Or George Washington, Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, William Wilberforce, Gandhi, and countless others.

They refused to back down in the face of lions, stoning, imprisonment, or certain death. I have always seen them as having remarkable courage, and no doubt they did.

Courage – or strength?

But I wonder if it wasn’t courage at all, but rather strength. Because courage can only come from an inner strength. Curious about the difference, I learned this:

COURAGE is the same as bravery.
It’s the ability to deal with or face difficulty, danger, or pain, without fear.

STRENGTH, on the other hand, is
Moral power, firmness, courage. It’s the ability to maintain a moral or intellectual position, even while dealing with difficult situations.

• The prophet Daniel COULD face the lions because he COULD NOT worship other gods.
• The British politician William Wilberforce COULD fight against impossible odds because he COULD NOT accept slavery.
• And Patrick Henry (a founding father of the USA) COULD face possible death because he WAS CERTAIN that some things are worth fighting and even dying for.

When we lack courage

Many heroes and heroines of the past were afraid but they faced danger anyway. Just as Queen Esther was afraid to go before the king, many historical champions were afraid. But they didn’t let fear stop them.

If courage means facing difficulties and dangers without fear, then I am not courageous. Probably few of us are.

Even in the present situation, fear lurks nearby. We wonder what other consequences might result from our decision. If the current global agenda moves forward, could we face imprisonment? Will even grocery stores become forbidden places for us? Would we be denied medical care?

In light of world events, such fears no longer seem unfounded. But can we let them paralyze us?

We often face fear in life. But one thing I’ve learned is to keep going, knowing that God is our strength. Deep down we may be fraidy cats. But He can give us courage and strength to face any battle.

I believe that everyone should decide what’s best for them. God allows us to follow our own conscience and choose which battles we should fight.

Just as God has guided me in these decisions, I trust that he will guide you too. If you got the shots, I’m glad you could choose what you felt was best for you and your family. But for me and my house, we feel that Italy’s vaccine mandate is a battle we must fight right now.

Because there’s still some good in this world and it’s worth fighting for. For us, it’s things like freedom, liberty, and individual rights.

In JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, when Frodo was discouraged by the seeming impossibility of their mission, Sam encouraged him to remember what they were fighting for. And that gave him the strength to go on.

(The following conversation between Sam and Frodo is taken from Tolkien’s book Return of the King as they are journeying to destroy the ring of power which would lead to the destruction of Middle Earth.)

All who have lived through dangerous times have known fear. Every one of them wished it would end. They wished it had never happened. But the ones we call heroes, the ones who lived stories worth telling, were the ones who held on to something. They knew that what was good was worth fighting for.

We, too, can be strong when we know that we are fighting for something good. And when we know that our strength comes from God. From the One who is greater than ourselves and our fears. And greaer than the evil that threatens to engulf us.

It is His strength that transforms us from fraidy cats into bold lions. Knowing that the darkness will pass. And knowing that a new day will come, with the sun shining even brighter.

📷 Image credits: lion-cat; knight; sword