First Baptist Church of Herndon

Courage of Your Convictions

Linda Soller | Mar 12, 2018

The word courage doesn’t get tossed around like the word hero. I’m not sure why that is. Conviction, not as in guilty verdicts, is seen in abundance. The expression “the courage of your convictions” was once a call to honor, but today it feels like a building block for conflict. Perhaps we don’t understand the meanings. So, I looked them up in the dictionary. Courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without being stopped by fear. Conviction is a firmly held belief or opinion. The courage of your convictions is the confidence to do what you believe is right, even though others may not agree or approve.

Daily I read in the news about courageous people. We applaud their courage, we wonder if we could do the same if we were in their shoes. Courage is generally accepted as a good thing. Conviction is appreciated in people because it demonstrates a level of intellectual and emotional investment. Ah, but here is where it gets cloudy. Put courage with conviction and you get a mixed bag of feelings. Sometimes we like for a person or group to do what they think is right in the face of opposition. Sometimes we don’t. It appears we only appreciate someone’s courage of their conviction when their conviction matches ours.

Jesus had many faithful followers. Sometimes, they had to be courageous in the sight of persecution. Often, they had to hold tightly to their convictions when others around them doubted. But when it came to having the courage of their convictions, many failed. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and religious leader, came under the cover of night to talk with Jesus (John 3:1-3 in the Bible). Jesus’ own disciples hid when he was arrested. Have you ever found yourself feeling insecure in your faith? I know I have. As we approach Easter let us re-energize our faith by asking God to give us the courage of our convictions.

Have a great week!  :o) Linda