Strong and Courageous

“I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (NRSV)

These words are God’s to Joshua. Do you think that commandment was only for Joshua, or could it be for you? Are you strong and courageous? Is the Lord your God with you wherever you go? Can such faith keep you from being dismayed or discouraged?

The following story is called “Satan’s Garage Sale” and was sent to me:
Once upon a time, Satan was having a garage sale. There, standing in little groups were all of his bright, shiny trinkets. Here were tools that make it easy to tear others down for use as stepping-stones. And over there were some lenses for magnifying ones own importance, which, if you looked through them the other way, you could also use to belittle others, or even one's self. Against the wall was the usual assortment of gardening implements guaranteed to help your pride grow by leaps and bounds: the rake of scorn, the shovel of jealousy for digging a pit for your neighbor, the tools of gossip and backbiting, of selfishness and apathy. All of these were pleasing to the eye and came complete with fabulous promises and guarantees of prosperity. Prices, of course, were steep; but not to worry! Free credit was extended to one and all. "Take it home, use it, and you won't have to pay until later!" old Satan cried, as he hawked his wares.
The visitor, as he browsed, noticed two well-worn, non-descript tools standing in one corner. Not being nearly as tempting as the other items, he found it curious that these two tools had price tags higher than any other. When he asked why, Satan just laughed and said, "Well, that's because I use them so much. If they weren't so plain looking, people might see them for what they were." Satan pointed to the two tools, saying, "You see, that one's Doubt and that one's Discouragement -- and those will work when nothing else will."

Maybe God was telling Joshua not to be dismayed, frightened, or discouraged because those are the things that will most quickly bring anyone down. Joshua had a lot on his shoulders, leading the people after Moses, and God knows we have a lot to deal with too. Doubt and discouragement always creep in when things get hard. “Can I do this?” “How much more can I take?” Mother Teresa once said, “I know God won’t give me more than I can handle, I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.” I think sometimes we all feel that way. Still God says, “Be strong and courageous, for I am with you wherever you go.” Sometimes we need to hear it again.

With hope and joy,
Garrett