Keep calm and carry on 29
In the past decade a poster was discovered with a twin imperative that has become the ubiquitous basis for a number of popular slogans and posters, it is the 1939 pre-war British poster that reads: Keep Calm and Carry On. Interestingly, it was never used during the war. Oh the British, my ancestors, with their stoic stiff upper lip.
Courage has its place in our lives. God, upon the commissioning of Joshua to replace Moses as the leader of Israel says in Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.” That command is actually twice repeated with the admonition to meditate and be guided by the Law sandwiched in-between. Clearly, there is a time to be courageous.
How does that square with what I wrote to you reminding us of Colossians 3:15, which says this:
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”
Which is it: courage or peace? How do they differ? What is our goal?
We both know our goal. “What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” I think we can only conclude that we should seek both courage and peace in this life and though different, both are prizes to be gained by us in this season.
The Bible is full of men and women who took courage. This list is too long to catalog, I’m sure several come to your mind. It seems to me that all of them took courage, by faith in the face of fear. We must do likewise. As we do not know the future, nor the process that lie ahead, we have plenty of fear to face. Together we can face it courageously. Together we can face it with the same faith we have faced countless other unknowns before.
Where does that leave us with the admonition of peace? I believe, sweetheart, that the past faithfulness of God gives rise to a trust of him for the future. That trust, along with a thankful heart for all that we have to count as blessings, will cause Christ to rule over our hearts in peace.
Once again we see that the knee bone is connected to the shin bone and every part of the body works beautifully in harmony.
Together we can be courageous and in the process see the peace of Christ rule over our hearts. This is how we overcome. This is how we flourish, especially during this season.
I love you so much. I cherish our time together.
Loving you is so very easy,
Brad