What Is Courage?

Catalyst Atlanta 2017 Katie Davis Majors

Today, I’m live-blogging the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. The next speaker I’ll be live-blogging about is  Katie Davis Majors

Katie, at the age of 18, traveled to Uganda for the first time. She was captivated by the people of Uganda and their culture. After her visit to Uganda, Katie chose to leave her family and friends behind to do a year-long mission trip to Uganda.

Katie Davis Majors Catalyst 2017 Of Good Courage

Almost 10 years after her first mission trip, Katie is a 28-year old mother to 13 girls and one baby boy. She’s the founder of Amazima Ministries and author of Kisses From Katie.


Katie had prepared for 30 students on the first day of class. She was optimistic of her ability to connect and share with the students.

To her surprise, there were 120 students on the first day of school.

How optimistic we are when we first begin our journey. We’re excited and feeling good about the things to come. Then the surprises hit us.

The students didn’t speak English. They’d come to school with a fever or hives. She’d see the hopelessness of living in intense poverty.

Then there was the beauty in their faces.

There was hope. She knew Jesus had to be shared with the students.

But then God showed her something.

God didn’t need Katie. Katie needed God.

God grew Katie. Her life expanded. And so did her family as she began to take on students as daughters.

What Is Courage?

Genesis starts the story by telling us He tested Abraham. God told Abraham to go to Moriah and sacrifice his son.

Can you imagine? Abraham didn’t argue with God. He loaded up his donkey and headed out.

Abraham didn’t hesitate to act when God told him to act. Abraham’s courage was in his surrender.

As Abraham and Isaac were walking up the mountain, Isaac notices the sacrificial lamb was missing. Isaac asks his father “Where is the lamb for the sacrifice? There is the knife and the fire. Where is the lamb?”

Abraham answers Isaac and tells him “God will provide the lamb.” He was certain of the sacrifice God was going to provide.

Then not only did God provide the lamb in the thicket. He provided God’s own son as the final sacrifice.

Maybe courage isn’t our boldness. Maybe courage isn’t the absence of fear. Our courage could be in taking the next step in spite of the fear.

Keep facing the fear. That is the essence of courage.

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