Personal courage is not the absence of fear; rather, it is the ability to put fear aside and do what is necessary. It takes two forms, physical and moral. Good leaders demonstrate both. Physical courage is the bravery that allows a soldier to take risks in combat in spite of the fear of wounds or death. Physical courage is what gets the soldier who’s in airborne school out the aircraft door. It is what allows an infantryman to assault a bunker to save his buddies.
In contrast, moral courage enables leaders to stand up for what they believe is right, regardless of the circumstances or consequences. The leader, who takes responsibility for his decisions and actions, even when things go wrong, displays moral courage. Courageous leaders are willing to look critically inside themselves, consider new ideas, and change what needs changing. Moral courage is essential to living the Army values of integrity and honor every day. In combat, physical and moral courage may blend together. The right thing to do may be uppopular, as well as dangerous. Situations of that sort reveal who is a leader of character and who is not.
The disciples displayed great personal courage. When threatened by religious and state rulers, they did not waiver in their beliefs or witness. Many of them died to further the cause of the gospel. We need to take note of their courage. As believers, we need to run the race set before us with endurance and courage. We need to be bold and never waiver on the truths of God’s Word.
As a values-based organization, the Army uses expressed values to provide its fundamental ethical framework. The Army’s values lay out the ethical standards expected of soldiers. It uses them to judge its systems, processes and decisions. Army values and the ethical decision making together provide a moral touchstone and workable process that equip soldiers to make ethical decisions and take right actions confidently. The ethical aspects of some decisions are more obvious than others.
The church is also a values-based organization. The core moral values of the Ten Commandments, the prophets, the gospels and the letters of the apostles have shaped the way Christians view the world. It gives believers a spiritual course on which to set the lives. Just as the Army tries to shape and mold soldiers with values that will help them succeed. Ministers and churches need to provide spiritual direction for their congregations.
Spiritual direction is a specialized form of mentoring, which deals with the inner life of the protégé, the formation of spiritual identity and vocation and the developmental tasks at hand. While involved with the notion of career advice and professional decision-making, it can be somewhat subtle. The subtlety may be manifest in the exercise of discernment. Alan W. Jones, in his discussion of spiritual battle-buddies said:
“The enemy, then, is not always easily identifiable. That is why the Christian life requires our discovering criteria for discernment and our seeking the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit. This guidance is available to us in a relationship of spiritual direction. Without the ability to discern between the various forces at work in us we would be like an undisciplined athlete” (Jones, 16).
“A few years ago I interviewed 29 spiritual leaders, most of them experienced directors, most of them Christian, concerning the most important qualifications for a spiritual companion. There was basic agreement around these qualities: Personal spiritual commitment, experience, knowledge and humility, and an active discipline of prayer/meditation. The capacity to be caring, sensitive, open and flexible with another person, not projecting one’s own needs or fostering long-term dependency” (Edwards, 126).
The ministry of spiritual direction requires men and women with certain important capacities. An excellent discussion is set forth in Tilden Edwards’ Spiritual Friend: Reclaiming the Gift of Spiritual Direction:
“There is biblical precedent in such persons as Jethro (
