Courage Breeds Courage
“The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do…” Exodus 1:17
Have you ever noticed that courage often breeds more courage?
This summer my kids and I went to a friend’s farm to meet the animals and play. My twins had never been up close to animals like these and I watched as they walked quietly behind me, nervous every step of the way. At one point during our visit, we walked into a pen where a duck and her newborn ducklings lived, and my friend scooped up one of the baby ducklings and brought him over to my kids. Immediately my twins took a step back, nervous and anxious as the baby duck got closer. My friend assured them that the baby duck wasn’t going to hurt them, and that it was safe to pet the duckling. Initially they refused, but as they watched my daughter gently pet and hold the duck, they eventually walked forward and reached out to pet the duck.
As we were driving home later that night, I was asking my kids what their favorite part of our farm visit was, and getting to hold the duckling came up multiple times. I reminded them how scared they were at first, and asked them what gave them the courage to hold the duckling?” That’s when the truth for my own heart started to hit --- Christa responded by telling me that she saw my friend holding him, and my twins said that they watched Christa hold the duckling which gave them confidence to try it themselves. Courage from one person was caught and passed on to the next because courage breeds courage!
As I thought on that truth the rest of the evening my heart was gripped with the idea of how the courage of others is often passed along to me, and then my mind immediately went to a story in scripture I had been studying found in Exodus 1 and 2.
In these chapters we meet 2 very special midwives– Shiphrah and Puah. Rather than killing all of the baby boys they delivered as the Egyptian Pharoah had commanded, they secretly saved them. As I read through the story, I keep imagining the conversations that were had between these midwives and the new moms each time they rescued their babies. What courage they showed standing up to Pharoah, and I just wonder if while they were delivering the babies, they were encouraging these Hebrew women to have the same courage as they wrapped up and handed them their baby boys. “You can do this!” “Here’s some tips to keep him quiet.” “He’s perfect”.
Obviously, their courage impacted one of the women whose babies they delivered – a woman named Jochebed who delivered baby Moses. After 3 months of trying to keep him quiet in their home, she carefully created a basket and laid him in the Nile knowing he was safer floating along the river than he was cuddled up in her arms at home. What courage she had to put her son in that basket, believing her God was big enough to take care of her precious baby!
…But the story of courage doesn’t stop there! Eventually the princess of Egypt finds the baby in the river, and before she can even think about creating a plan, Moses’s brave sister speaks up from her hiding spot in the distance with a plan to help raise baby Moses.
The courage those midwives had, led to the courage of Moses’ mother, and then inspired the same courage of Moses’ sister speaking up when the Egyptian princess found the baby. Think about it – Courage was caught from person to person and eventually this same courage led to Moses rescuing the Israelite people and changing all of history! Courage breeds Courage!
Over and over again we are reminded in scripture about how we should be ‘strong and courageous’. Just imagine if God is calling us to a courageous life because He knows that our courage will inspire courage in someone else, which will inspire courage in someone else, and on and on until history is forever impacted.
Maybe our courage to bring cookies and invite our new neighbor to join us at church will inspire courage in our kids to reach out to their new friend on the playground at school. Maybe our courage to step up and lead a group will inspire someone else to have courage to join a group for the very first time. Just imagine how our own courage to be obedient to the things God calls us to, could impact the world as those around us are inspired to have courage to do the same.
I believe God has a plan for all of us that is much bigger and better than we could ever imagine, but often His plans often require that we have courage to be obedient and step forward in faith. Imagine if we all stopped being fearful, but rather chose to walk courageously as we embraced all of the ways He has called us to reach this world.
Oh friends, that is who I want to be yet so often fall short. I desperately want to be a woman who lives with abandon, leaning in to what God calls me to and willing to put my ‘basket in the water’ even when I don’t know what God has planned for it. Friends – let’s all choose to be women who lead by example courageously, living like we really believe that God’s plan for our lives is best. Because maybe, just maybe, our courage will inspire courage in others to do the same.