Blank. That’s how my mind looked as I stared at a mediocre paper. Sure it was grammatically correct and flowed logically. The only wrong thing an editor had found with it was the short length, which she afterwards said was alright. It was even full of relatively profound truth. Yes, this paper was academically “good,” and yet, I felt like it had no substance. I had learned nothing while writing it, and so, despite the fact that I had other things to be finished before I could leave to an activity which started in less than two hours, I started writing this, what I have learned about courage:
In the past two or three weeks I have been thinking about courage. I have realized several things, such as the fact that true courage is not possible without faith. I have also learned that with God we can have no fear, through Him we can know what the right thing is for us to do, that when we know that what we’re doing is right it is easier to accomplish, and that the bond we have with God allows us to do things we wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. In the process of this I have studied Joan of Arc, and I have found each of these elements in her.
“Fear is the opposite of faith.” When I remembered this quote from general conference I went “whoa!” Yup, when we have faith, there is less fear. This is because we know that no matter what happens we are in God’s hands, and He will protect us from whatever we need to be protected from (though we may not understand what that is). When we are in His army we can have no fear. This is the only way to no fear. Sure we can have confidence or weak hope in other things that could pull us through, like ourselves. But when we have trust in the most omnipotent (by a long-shot) power in the universe, all fears can dispel since we know that nothing can overcome Him.
“We move on because of the truthfulness of what we are attempting to do.” That is a quote I love from Elder David B. Haight. I love it so much because the biggest problem when it comes to doing hard things is probably unsurety. On the other hand when we know what is most fitting, proper, just and convenient in the whole scheme of things we suddenly have a wonderful thing called surety. The best part of it all is that we can know the right thing to do in any situation when we are with God because He is all-wise and all knowing.
Here’s something else I have discovered. When we are able to make covenants with a power higher than us we definitely have much more of a will to do the things we already know are right than otherwise. When I tell God I am going to do something, I do it, maybe not as well as I could have, but much better than if I just told myself I would. Covenants are bonds with God. They, like bonds, give us security. Security is an anti-dote for fear, and therefore security builds courage.
I love the example of courage which Joan of Arc set in her life. We often think of her as a romantic superhuman figure, who just did what she did. We do not realize that it took just as much from her to do what she did at it would from one of us. The difference is that she came unto Christ quicker, she was less afraid of following Him, she built such an amazing foundation in Him as a child that she was able to hear her call when it came and fulfill it fully.
Joan of Arc developed courage by seeking to be closer to God. Those who knew her in her childhood said that she was “a singularly pious child, grave beyond her years, who often knelt in the church absorbed in prayer, and loved the poor tenderly.” How many kids do you know who become absorbed in prayer? She even left playing around a “fairy tree” when she was twelve because it was a “diversion” from better things.
Because she followed God she got more direct instruction from Him. This became manifest in the form of angels who eventually told her to go to the commander in a nearby village to ask for an escort to the Dauphin. She went but he rudely turned her away. At this point Joan could have very easily have given up but for the fact that she had built such a strong foundation. Joan’s voices told her to go back. She (as can be expected) was unwilling to follow and said "I am a poor girl; I do not know how to ride or fight." But then she repented and went. The commander was convinced to take her to the Dauphin and Joan’s mission, more officially, began. If it hadn’t have been for her relationship with God, she would not have accomplished any of the great things she did.
Through God Joan gained courage, through God we can gain courage. Any way in which we get closer to Him gives us more confidence that He does help us, more confidence that we are doing the right thing, more confidence that there is nothing to fear. Through Him way we can change the world.
Full. That’s how my mind looked as I took in the last line of a great (at least to me) paper. I had written the almost final draft in around one hour, and it had flowed. As I left I felt excited, giddy, accomplished, and, most importantly, what I had learned about courage was much more a part of me than it was before. Now that I had written it I felt (unlike how I felt after I wrote my first paper) better, higher than I had been before. Now I leave with a challenge to be courageous, write well, and do what is right in all things.
Bibliography- Joan of Arc information was from
- The two quotes were from (in order of appearance)
