January 2, 2021
Sharing from the Congregation – David Petty
I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. —Joshua 1:9
You probably know this story better than I do. Here’s a short version:
A horrible dragon was terrorizing the land, flying through the air, blowing fire, and gobbling up knights like they were chicken nuggets. On the advice of his wizard, the king picked a mere lad, still in his teens, to go out and fight the dragon. The lad assembled all the usual dragon-fighting tools — lance, sword, shield, magic amulets and potions, and a suit of armor. He practiced and practiced his fighting technique. One day, as the time for the fight grew near, the wizard came to see him.
The young man showed the wizard all the things he had laid out, explaining all in great detail. Then he said, “Sir, I’m afraid. The dragon will surely kill me as it has the knights that have fought it.”
“Young friend,” answered the wizard, “you are missing a tool. Think about it. I will come back again.” With that he left.
The lad thought and thought. He checked and rechecked his equipment. He could find nothing missing. Finally on the day that he was to fight the dragon, the wizard returned. “Sir,” he said to the wizard, “I have checked and checked and can find nothing missing. Oh, sir, who will save the kingdom after the dragon kills me?”
“My friend, you are still missing the most important tool,” said the wizard, “... courage.”
“Ah!” said the lad. Then he frowned. “But sir, where do I find courage?”
“You don’t,“ replied the wizard. “You ask for it and it finds you. Now go slay the dragon.”
After a tumultuous year, we are entering a new one that promises to be challenging. The pandemic still rages and there are uncertainties about the vaccines. Economic and military troubles threaten around the world. Political changes are about to occur in Washington.
All this presents both dangers and opportunities. In order to take advantage of the opportunities, we need to use all our tools — including that most important tool, courage. As in the story, courage is not something that we find. We pray for it and believe that it will find us.
Now go slay the dragon.
Gracefully submitted,
David Petty