Be Strong Courageous: The Courage to Choose Wisely
Be Strong and Courageous: The Courage to Choose Wisely
A Baccalaureate Exhortation
Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:9
By Pastor Tammy Long
For Your Heart Today
Life is full of thresholds.
Some are marked by graduations, retirements, new jobs, or major transitions. Others arrive more quietly through grief, unexpected opportunities, or changing circumstances. Whatever form they take, thresholds often bring a mixture of excitement, uncertainty, anticipation, and fear.
When the people of Israel stood at the edge of the Promised Land, they were facing a future they had never experienced before. It was at that moment that God spoke words that continue to echo through every generation: "Be strong and courageous...for the Lord your God will be with you."
Those words are not only for graduates. They are for anyone standing at the edge of something new. As we cross the thresholds before us, we do so with the promise that God is with us. And perhaps the invitation is not to have all the answers, but simply to choose wisely.
Three Takeaways
1. Be strong and courageous enough to choose to be yourself. God created you uniquely and intentionally, not to be someone else, but to be you.
2. Be strong and courageous enough to choose to try something new. God often reveals gifts, strengths, and possibilities as we step beyond what is familiar.
3. Be strong and courageous enough to choose to walk with God. The wisest choice we can make in any season is to keep Him at the center.
Breath Prayer
Inhale: God, You are with me
Exhale: Help me choose wisely
Full Manuscript - Estimated Reading Time: 10-12 Minutes
Be Strong and Courageous: The Courage to Choose Wisely
Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:9
By Pastor Tammy Long
Today is a special day of celebration. In a few moments, we will recognize our graduates, award scholarships, hear a special charge, and pray over these young people as they prepare for what comes next.
But before we do that, I want to briefly share a word of encouragement from God's Word, not just for our graduates, but for all of us.
This year, as a church family, we have been reflecting on the theme Be Strong and Courageous. These words come from Deuteronomy and Joshua and are spoken in a moment of transition.
You probably recall that the people of Israel have completed forty years in the wilderness. You may even say they finally graduated. Now, they are preparing to enter a land they have never seen before. Moses, the leader they have known their entire lives, is in his final days. The future feels uncertain.
It is in that moment that God says to His people, "Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid, for the Lord your God will be with you."
Soon after that, Moses passes. Joshua now carries the responsibility of leadership. He is standing at the edge of something new, something he has never done before. And once again, speaking directly to Joshua, God's word is simple: "Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid, for the Lord your God will be with you."
These words are spoken at a crossroads moment-a threshold. And that is exactly where our graduates find themselves today. And if we're honest, that's where many of us find ourselves today as well. Some of us are entering new schools. Some are entering new jobs. Some are leaving jobs and retiring. Some are learning to navigate life after the loss of someone they love. Some are considering opportunities that feel exciting and frightening at the same time. Some are sensing God calling them into something that is brand new.
Life is full of thresholds. And at every threshold, God says the same thing: "Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid. I will be with you."
Every new season requires courage. And this morning, as we all stand at different types of thresholds, I want to encourage us to be strong and courageous enough to choose wisely. And I'll be brief. I'm going to invite us to be strong and courageous enough to choose wisely in three ways.
Be Strong and Courageous Enough to Be Yourself
One temptation in any new season is to become who everyone else expects us to be. Everything feels new, so we look around and compare. We're tempted to follow what everyone else is doing, to fit what feels like the norm.
And that's a normal beginning. When we enter a new season, we're trying to get a lay of the land. We're observing. We're learning. We're paying attention. We're trying to figure out how things work.
Graduates, you may feel that when you enter a new school, you look around. You notice what classes people are taking or what activities they're involved in. But, actually, that's true for all of us at any age. When we enter a new season, we look around, too. We wonder how other people are navigating retirement. How they are rebuilding after loss. How they are approaching a new opportunity. How they are handling a challenge we've never faced before.
But at some point, it takes courage to stop looking around and to start listening more deeply to our hearts.
God did not create you to be someone else; He created you to be you. There is a one-of-a-kind blueprint with your name on it.
God has given each of us unique gifts, experiences, passions, personalities, and callings. He has wired us differently. And over time, God takes all those pieces and weaves them together into a path that is uniquely ours.
God delights when we have the courage to be who He made us to be. Not who our friends expect us to be. Not who social media tells us we are to be. Not what the culture says we should be. But who God created you to be.
Because God knows you and created you intentionally with a purpose. So, as you cross every threshold, remember to be strong and courageous enough to be yourself because God is with you.
Be Strong and Courageous Enough to Try Something New
The second invitation to choose wisely is this: be strong and courageous enough to try something new.
The truth is that every meaningful season of life requires not only that we be who God has made us to be, but also that we step out of our comfort zone and into the unknown.
Joshua had to step into leadership. The Israelites had to enter the Promised Land. The disciples had to leave what was comfortable and follow Jesus.
As graduates, you are stepping into new schools, new expectations, and new opportunities.
In fact, many of us are stepping into new territory as well. A new possibility. A new opportunity. A new reality. Something we've never done before.
Whenever we step outside our comfort zone, fear often shows up. Not because we don't have faith, or we're weak. But simply because new things are uncomfortable!
The question is not whether we will feel nervous. We probably will. The question is what will we do when fear has our knees knocking? Will those nerves make the decision? Or will we remember that God is with us and draw on His courage?
Sometimes courage looks like praying a simple breath prayer like, "Lord, help me."
Sometimes courage looks like talking to God aloud along the way to remember He's near.
Sometimes courage looks like taking a step of faith and walking through the door anyway, even when you're tempted to run the other way.
Here's the gift to remember. Because God goes with you wherever you go, He already knows what you will need. He places people in your life who can offer encouragement and wisdom. He brings a thought, a scripture, or a memory to your mind to guide your next step.
In a new season, we often discover things about ourselves that we never knew were in there. Sides of our personalities, interests, skills, and capabilities that we never knew we had until we took the risk to try.
We didn't know, but God knew.
It was all a part of His plan as we learn to trust Him.
And every time we take a step outside of our comfort zone in trust, I believe God smiles, because God is with us.
Be Strong and Courageous Enough to Walk with God
The third invitation to choose wisely is this: be strong and courageous enough to walk with God.
As we enter new seasons, we can sometimes leave God behind. Perhaps not intentionally, but life gets busy. Responsibilities increase. And we're trying to figure things out.
Sometimes before we even realize it, we begin relying on our own strength, our own plans, and our own understanding to navigate this new part of our journey.
Yet the greatest gift we can carry into any new season is our relationship with God.
The reminder for all of us-graduates, family, and friends-is as we move into what comes next, don't leave God behind. Invite Him into your decisions. Invite Him into your questions. Invite Him into your successes. Invite Him into your failures. God wants to be a part of all of it.
So, whatever season lies ahead, choose wisely by having the courage to keep God at the center. Choose prayer and simply talk with God. Choose worship and express gratitude and love for God. Choose Scripture and learn about all God wants to share with you. Choose to stay connected to the One who has been faithful in every season before and every season to come.
Because God not only is with you, He wants to walk and talk with you every day.
So, graduates, family, and friends, one of the wisest choices we can ever make is to keep walking with God.
Conclusion
And that brings us back to the promise God gave to Moses, Joshua, and the people of Israel.
God told them to be strong and courageous. But the reason they could was because God promised to be with them. And He makes that same promise to you today.
So choose wisely, sisters and brothers. Choose to be yourself, choose to try something new, and choose to walk with God.
Graduates, we celebrate you, we bless you, and we love you.
Let the whole church say, Amen!