Is it Time for Change of Heart?

My college-prep seniors and I have been studying Dante’s Inferno.  Yesterday, we studied Circle Seven, Canto 13: Suicides. For good or ill, Dante relies on his theological and religious upbringing as he explains that these sinners end up in hell because they threw away God’s gift to them: Life.   According to the analytical commentary, these sinners, overwhelmed by discouragement, gave up, which is why Dante basically labels them as cowards.  Dante’s stance, based on his theology, is that violence towards self is the antithesis of courage.

My purpose here is not to debate Dante’s Inferno, nor is it to debate the eternal destiny of suicides.  The oppositional forces of discouragement and courage are what caught my attention.  Ever curious, I am the intellectual version Alice whose insatiable quest for deeper understanding leads her to further faith pursuits once she falls through the rabbit hole.

My first task was to look up the definition of courage.  The most popular, worldly definition of courage is fearlessness and bravery.  However, courage is much more than that. It is the “quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty,” and “strength in the face of grief or pain.”  “Courage” originates from the Latin, “cor,” meaning “heart.”  Thus, courage is the condition of the heart.  

The definitions demand a momentary pause of personal accounting.  Where are our hearts and minds when pain and grief are present? Are they caught up in the whirling tornado of circumstance, or are they firmly fixed in the eye of storm?

As I continued to process what I had read, I came to the conclusion that a person has to choose one or the other:  Discouragement or courage.  The two cannot co-exist, much like fear and faith cannot.  Those who are discouraged have lost sight of the Source of courage and hope. For Christians, courage is found only in Christ.  Likewise, when trouble arises, we are called to courage because Christ is strength, hope, and power. 

Thus it is completely appropriate to say that Abraham, David, and Daniel had courage.  In Genesis 22, we read of Abraham’s ultimate test of courage:  The sacrifice of his son.  For three agonizing days, Abraham traversed the desert with Isaac and his servants, to the location God had chosen for the sacrifice.  The unbelievable task had to have weighed heavily on his mind and heart throughout those three days. Nevertheless, according to what we read in the Bible, Abraham never wavered; his heart and mind were firmly fixed and committed to God. When Isaac asked about the lamb for the sacrifice, Abraham replied, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son”(Genesis 22:8).  Abraham's courage was His God. 

When David arrived at camp, the situation looked grim.  Saul’s army was discouraged as the Philistines and their giant warrior, Goliath, seemed to be kicking their butts.  The puny, youngest son of Jesse seemed like a fool when he chose to call out the giant, refusing armor and choosing a slingshot as a weapon.  While David’s bravery and fearlessness are often the focus of the story, they are by-products of a courageous heart, rooted in God.  David reveals the source of his courage when he says to Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. . .All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give all of you into our hands” (I Samuel 17: 45-7). David's courage was His Lord.

When Daniel opted to follow God’s rules versus the king’s rules, he was treated to a seeming one-way trip to the lion’s den. Even though the king lost sleep during Daniel’s overnighter with the big cats, Daniel calmly explained to the king the next morning: “O king, live forever.  My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.  They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight.  Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.”  (Daniel 6:21-22) Daniel’s courage was His King.  

In all three examples, their hearts were focused on God, not their circumstances.  Thus, when life is miserable, we have no excuse.  We have access to the same Power Source as Abraham, David, and Daniel.  We are called to courage just as they were; the choice in ours.  When our hearts are focused on God, our hearts trust in His purpose more than the circumstance. 

Similarly, “encouragement” is another word that capitalizes on the idea of courage, as it is the root or (literal) center.  Thus, when we offer encouragement to others, we share our hearts, our Source of Life with others. 

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

¹¹ “All who rage against you
    will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
    will be as nothing and perish.
¹² Though you search for your enemies,
    you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
    will be as nothing at all.
¹³ For I am the Lord your God
    who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
    I will help you.

Isaiah 41:10-13