When courage is a regular practice, doing the right thing is a reflex.
In the book of Esther, there is a small detail that is easy to miss: in Chapter 3, Mordecai refuses to bow down to Haman, a narcissist with all authority from the king. Everyone else is bowing, simply to assuage the ego of a person drastically out of touch with the man that God made him to be. These two characters are in direct contrast with each other: one is leveraging fear as a weapon so he can elevate himself over others, and one is demonstrating courage in the face of danger. Mordecai could have been killed! And we celebrate him for not bowing to man, knowing that he should bow only to God.
Here’s the part a lot of people miss: “Day after day they spoke to him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.” (Esther: 3:4)
While we can perhaps muster the right amount of conviction to do what is right, even when we’re afraid, it doesn’t mean we’ve “defeated” fear; We’ll likely still be afraid when faced with similar circumstances. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the choice to do what is right despite fear.
Mordecai decided to continue to show up day after day and do what was right. Because of this, Haman launched a plot to kill all of the Jewish people. But later, as you continue to read, Mordecai’s choice to stand up to Haman, day after day, also led to the demise of the evil leader. Mordecai could have bowed down after the first day, recognizing that he did the right thing, but later relented. But it was when he continued to demonstrate courage that Haman was annoyed enough to try to get rid of him, triggering a chain of events that would eventually glorify God.
Where in your life can you show up, not as a one-time event, but as a regular practice that will eventually lead to being a regular rhythm in your life? Grab lunch with that lonely coworker, stand up to that family member who said something hurtful, or volunteer even though you aren’t sure what it will be like. When can you step into your own discomfort, knowing that God is leading you more into the person that God made you to be?
You might find that doing so regularly will lead to a regular rhythm of being the “you” that you were made to be!