Boldness

I watched two clips recently and both made an impact:
1) Lord of the Rings (Return of the king)- the choice to give Frodo more time by fighting the orcs
2) Persecution- the choice to confess you follow Jesus despite physical beatings

Now I thought to myself, "I'd love to be that brave". Then I reflected further, and was saddened that I didn't think I could. My contemplation asked the question, "What's wrong with me!!!"

Boldness is a characteristic that is admirable. Yet it is lacking today. Fear grips us (consider how effective terrorism is and the billions of dollars spent to stop a possible attack).

I think that cowardice begins with an awareness of the cost to you. Whatever the pain is, you don't want it. Now in an age of self-satisfaction, self fulfilment and general narcissism, sacrifice is an odd concept. But bravery requires it.

So I think that the key to boldness is self-forgetfulness. That is, you have an awareness of the needs of others or God's glory as greater. This is seen in Acts 4 and 5, when the disciples are threatened with violence. They see the need of others as worth the pain. Consider the civil rights movement. Rosa Parks was willing to be intimidated, humiliated and imprisoned because she wanted a different future for African-Americans.

For Christians, we are meant to be self-forgetful. Galatians 6:19-20 says
 ‘For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.  I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

It is possible to suffer because we identify with Christ. It's not that we want to, it's that we see acknowledging Him as Lord is more important than responding to someone's command to be quiet.

Boldness comes from a change of focus. When we focus on the risen Lord Jesus, then we see things differently, what matters is different and what we are prepared to sacrifice also changes.