THOUGHTS ON COURAGE

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.

~C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Do you consider yourself courageous? As homeschool moms, we certainly need to be. Without courage, how can we face each new day with its myriad of demands on us? How can we handle the illnesses or inconvenient interruptions that derail our best-laid plans? How can we plan a school year for our child, let alone for multiple children? Charlotte Mason, in her wonderful book Ourselves, Our Souls and Bodies helps us to understand this attribute of courage that we already have within us but forget to acknowledge. If we did, we would find a peace and purpose to our days. She states, “It is well to be sure of ourselves, to know for certain that we have Courage for everything that may come, not because we are more plucky than others, but because all persons are born with this…”  (Vol. 4, p. 113)

The word “courageous” literally means “to lead with your heart” (cor = heart, agere = to lead). In fact, Mason places courage in “The House of Heart” which is part of her Mansoul metaphor for our inner, spiritual life. To lead with my heart in this act of courage reminds me that my heart needs to be situated in the correct posture, a call to always be in the Word of God since I am what I love.

I distinctly remember my nine-year-old son acting strangely one Sunday. We went to church and he became ill during his class. He was complaining about his neck which was sore when he moved it a certain way. Now, when I was nine I had spinal meningitis; I was immediately concerned that his symptoms were just like mine. I politely ignored what others were saying and took him straight to the ER. Sure enough, he had contracted the virus. While emergency procedures were immediately put in place, I understood what needed to happen and calmly followed through instead of falling apart; I listened to my heart and not the logic of others. Have you dealt with a medical emergency? That takes courage – a leading with the heart. Mason describes this type of courage, the Courage of Serenity, when she says:

“It is only persons that matter; and the best thing we can do is to see that one person keeps a serene mind in unusual or fretting circumstances; then we shall be sure that one person is ready to be of use.” (Vol. 4, Bk. 1, p. 114.)

Mason goes on to describe ten different types of courage! Why not try reading about one a day and thinking about it and how you need to appropriate courage in your ordinary or extraordinary days? The types are intriguing: the Courage of Attack, the Courage of Endurance, the Courage of Serenity, the Courage of Our Affairs, the Courage of Our Opinions, the Courage of Frankness, the Courage of Reproof, the Courage of Confession, the Courage of Opportunity, and the Courage of our Capacity. Reading her descriptions of these on pages 112-117 of Ourselves will help you understand yourself better.

I think my favorite type of courage is the Courage of Our Capacity, “the courage which assures us that we can do the particular work which comes in our way, and will not lend an ear to the craven fear which reminds us of failures in the past and unfitness in the present”. We have been called to this role for such a time as this and we have what we need to follow through. Time works with us, not against us. We are only responsible to be faithful for this moment. Recall these comforting words by Mason:

Does so wide a programme alarm the mother? Does she with dismay see herself talking through the whole of those five or six hours, and, even at that, not getting through a tithe of the teaching laid out for her? On the contrary, the less she says the better; and as for the quantity of educational work to be got through, it is the fable of the anxious pendulum over again: it is true there are countless ‘ticks’ to be ticked, but there will be always be a second of time to tick in, and no more than a single tick is to be delivered in any given second. (Vol. 1, p. 78)

In the C.S. Lewis classic, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, we find a courageous example in Lucy who listens to the whispers of Aslan and did not give in to the overwhelming fear at hand. In this scene, Lucy, Edmund, Eustace, and Caspian are sailing haphazardly toward the Dark Island and sure destruction:

Lucy looked along the beam and presently saw something in it. At first it looked like a cross, then it looked like an aeroplane, then it looked like a kite, and at last with a whirring of wings it was right overhead and was an albatross. It circled three times round the mast and then perched for an instant on the crest of the gilded dragon at the prow. It called out in a strong sweet voice what seemed to be words though no one understood them. After that it spread its wings, rose, and began to fly slowly ahead, bearing a little to starboard. Drinian steered after it not doubting that it offered good guidance. But no one except Lucy knew that as it circled the mast it had whispered to her, “Courage, dear heart,” and the voice, she felt sure, was Aslan’s, and with the voice a delicious smell breathed in her face.

In a few moments the darkness turned into a greyness ahead, and then, almost before they dared to begin hoping, they had shot out into the sunlight and were in the warm, blue world again. And all at once everybody realized that there was nothing to be afraid of and never had been.  (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, chapter 12.)

Have you been through some dark places? I sure have. Are your tired?  Is your life full of uncertainty and harder than you expected it to be? We need to have the courage to trust God, even when we can’t see him. Like Lucy. God sees you, hurts with you, and will be there for you wherever your journey goes.

Courage is just as important for the mundane getting out of bed each morning to the big dragon-slaying moments– and everything in between. I would venture to guess each of you has a story to tell as it relates to courage. And we should, when we can, share them with one another. Why?  – specifically, to glorify God and encourage one another. Courage, dear heart.

Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!

Psalm 31:24 NSV

With affection and regard,

Nancy

You can listen to more of my thoughts on courage (including the drunk- man-coming-up-the-steps story) from a recent Living Education Retreat Conversazione here.

A version of this essay was first published in Common Place Quarterly (2019, Q3)