They Call it Courage: Following Footsteps of Faith

Its almost midnight and I've been doing homework for hours now, but my head is swimming with thoughts that have been bugging me for quite some time.  Lets just say that in the past few months I've had some of the greatest lessons taught to me that are just stuck. They are lessons concerning courage.  What is courage you ask? That is an interesting question, and a difficult one to answer.  I'll start with an example from my own life then elaborate and provide more examples.  The example is my Grandpa Major.  My Grandpa Major is the greatest man I have ever met in my life. He passed away almost 7 years ago... wow has it been that long... my grandpa never knew riches or wealth or the easy life. His father committed suicide when he was just a small boy and he was raised by a single mother during the Great Depression. Despite his difficult circumstances, he never was hindered by them in deciding to be great.  When he turned 18 he served a mission opening up much of what is now part of the mission in Uruguay, even though back then serving a mission was not popular among young men, and actually very difficult to do.  But he went.  Upon coming home he met my grandmother, a woman not easy to woo, but he persisted. They were married and raised 5 children. His career of choice hardly was one that provided convenience for his family, but he loved being an artist and he stuck with it.  My memories of him are only memories of love and perseverance. The passion for chivalry expressed in my previous blog I attribute to this great man. Although wealth was never his companion, I've never seen so many people attend a funeral service before because of the love and courage this man had exemplified in his life. I miss him so much. I don't think I've ever looked up to a man more than him.  

Courage to me is more than just facing danger and evil. Its more than saying no to drugs. Looking at my grandpa, I see that courage is the willingness to pursue what is right.  To be what we desire to be. To choose to love and care rather than acquire praise and honor. It takes courage to trust in yourself.  It takes courage to follow through on promptings given by the spirit.

But of course, you may have heard many of these definitions before. So I want to share some things I've learned take courage in the life of an average college student.  I, like many, have realized how swamped I am with school, work, and diminishing social activities. Yet, I will now admit that I have not taken upon myself as much as I know that I can.  I have come to realize that I have been living a very very easy life compared to many others. Friends, my grandpa, and other family members of mine are soo busy being grown up, and here I am living in the plush comforts of my parents house.  It takes courage to grow-up and take upon ourselves the responsibilities of adulthood.  It takes courage to add a few more work hours. It takes courage to get another job, to save money, and to provide for a family.  It takes courage to stay up late at night to finish homework that needs to be done.  It takes courage to say no, even when just another 30 minutes with friends would be so good.  But it also takes courage to find time to relax. It takes courage to get the right amount of sleep every now and then. It takes courage to be a friend to everyone.

Everything in our life is affect by our courage.  Think of when you know you've received revelation for yourself, that goes contrary to what the crowd may do, (ie dating, going on a mission, etc..) it takes courage to follow those promptings.  It takes courage to be patient in waiting for the one, or to finally get the guts to ask that special someone out.  It takes courage to stick it out to the end.  It takes courage to want to follow God's will more than what you desire, even if it is a righteous desire and you know your heart will hurt so much letting go.  It takes courage to shed tears and cry to the Lord from the depths of despair for the smallest things in your life. He does know you! It takes courage to be what the Lord wants you to be.
Anyway, I just thought I would share my thoughts with you.  As a last thought, to me courage is the connection between faith and action.  It takes courage to follow the things that we have faith in. Let us all pray that we can have courage to do, and be what we need to!