Cultivate Courage!
Steel your nerve.
Steel (verb): “to prepare yourself to be able to do something unpleasant or difficult”
Nerve (noun): “firmness or courage under trying circumstances”
Deuteronomy 20:8 contains some laws about ancient warfare: “Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.”
In a way, it seems counter-intuitive. Shouldn’t they want more soldiers, not less? If they say it’s okay to turn back, won’t that weaken the army?
But no, something more important is at play. We’re being taught that faintheartedness is contagious. It’s a stink in the batch. It doesn’t keep to itself. It spreads. Clearly, it is not good.
So, one might ask, how can we avoid it? Further, how do we cultivate its opposite, courage?
Several years ago I was speaking with a seminary professor. Having witnessed scores of students don their graduation caps and head into the fray, he had a suspicion: that most pastors are introverts who love God, Bible study and people. All of those things are necessary. But when it comes to leadership, important things are not the only things.
It made me think about my own temperament. I certainly love God and the Bible. And yes, I usually love people as well. (I’m continually working on that one!) But did I have what it takes to be a leader?
Over the years I’ve done personality tests. I’ve listened to podcasts, attended conferences, and read scores of books, many of which had to do with leadership. To be honest, I gave up reading those kinds of books for a time. Many of them just made me feel bad about all the stuff I wasn’t doing – or, at least, wasn’t doing well. I’ve also accumulated 16 years of experience in the pulpit and have discovered that one of my primary spiritual giftings is, by God’s grace, leadership.
One of the key things I’ve learned about leadership is how to define it: Leadership is knowing Who to follow. In a Christian context, it is first about discipleship. In his classic book The Reformed Pastor, Puritan Richard Baxter said that many of the ills in the church are because “so many men become preachers before they are Christians.” Ouch. As my Grade 10 math teacher used to say, “You need to heed the correct order of operations.” Jesus first, leadership second. We are not making tracks; we are stepping in someone else’s.
It follows, therefore, that we are going to find ourselves in unchartered territory. Undoubtedly, there will be rough water. Jesus didn’t shy away from trouble. This is not always a happy thought for introverts who thrive on candlelit quiet time with the Lord.
We live in a highly anxious time, both outside and inside the church. We are in a period of radical cultural change, most likely on par with what swept through the world at the time of the Industrial Revolution. The Internet lies at its heart. There is uncertainty and instability.
New norms are being established – many of which are indifferent or hostile to the historic Christian faith. Many churches are struggling. At a workshop in 2015 J.P. Smit shared this observation: “Thirty years ago there were about nine things you needed to do to grow a church – if you got about five of them right, the church would grow. Now you need to do eleven – and your church might still not grow.” (And remember, he said that in 2015.)
Further, many of us have cozied up to a “quick fix” mentality. Who wants to build a fire when you’ve got a microwave? And yet, things such as sanctification, carrying a cross, and cultivating courage tend to have their own timeline.
Okay, having reminded you that the winds are blowing, let’s return to our key idea about steeling our nerve. Here are six points.
First, mature Christian leaders please God first. I’m guessing that most of us have Galatians 1:10 highlighted in our Bibles: “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” This is easier said than done. But leaders are continually striving to think, talk, and act in concert with their Lord – not necessarily the loudest elder, the most persistent congregant or the latest cultural fad. Let’s be honest: people-pleasing and God-pleasing are usually different things.
Second, mature Christian leaders are rabid about their own personal spiritual growth. They immerse themselves in the Scriptures. They pray. They learn about and cultivate virtue. They develop a rhythm of spiritual disciplines. In this they find sustenance because they are being fed by the Bread of Life himself. Oh, and trees may bend in the wind but they remain standing because they have roots. There’s a word for when this is not happening: emergency.
Third, mature Christian leaders know themselves. They seek to know not only what makes them anxious but why. They notice which issues they shy away from (in the pulpit or otherwise). They pray about their greatest fears and hopes. They ask God to help them do the right thing, not just the easy thing. It’s about being students of ourselves. You can learn a lot about where you need to grow by being honest about what you tend to avoid.
Fourth, mature Christian leaders expect difficulty. Each day the question isn’t whether something difficult or unpleasant is going to happen. The question is how we are going to respond to it when it does. As strange as it may sound, knowing you are going to face difficulty helps you. When you think that ministry is a playground when it’s really a battle ground you’re going to get caught off guard time and time again.
Fifth, mature Christian leaders increase their tolerance for emotional pain and distress. I’ve taken this insight from Joe Rigney’s book Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World. I know, great title, right? This has to do with training yourself. When you intentionally do the right thing in a distressing situation which is, relatively speaking, “small,” you are training yourself to do the right thing in a distressing situation sometime in the future which will seem “big” by comparison. Instead of going out of our way to avoid distressing situations, what if we walked into them willingly because we knew they were opportunities for growth?
Lastly, mature Christian leaders maintain perspective. They work to avoid being hijacked by the daily frenzies which can unhitch our brains from kingdom priorities. Yes, some days are better than others – but we persevere with the Spirit’s help. Jesus was never not focused on the kingdom. Paul spoke about setting one’s mind on things above (Colossians 3:2). When you’re heavenly-minded, you’re reminding both yourself and others about what matters most – and what does not.
Perspective keeps things in proportion. It helps people interpret their experiences of suffering, rejection, blessing, marriage or money through a Biblical lens. I once heard John Piper tell people to be glad in the face of persecution and to “out rejoice your adversaries.” Ah, Godly perspective.
Let me summarize. As steely leaders who know Who to follow, let’s please God first, be rabid about our own personal spiritual growth, know ourselves, expect difficulty, increase our tolerance for emotional pain and distress, and maintain perspective.
There are more things than could be said. And yes, these six points seem pretty heavy. I could have spent some time on how meaningful everything is, the necessity of fellowship and accountability, rest, and the difference you’re making. (Keep it up!) But the emphasis here has pointed in a different direction. I sense there are some soldiers who need to take a deep breath, recalibrate, and put on the armour that’s sitting beside their desk.
“Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.” Hmm, what’s to be done?
If faintheartedness is contagious, the same must be true for courage.
Steel your nerve – and forward march.
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