Courage

Courage

Thank you for the wisdom, Lord. Now give me the courage to act.

Act with courage, and may the Lord be with those who do well. 2 Chronicles 19:11, NIV

Unlike managers, leaders accept unlimited liability for the overall good of the organization. In doing so, leaders also accept responsibility for certain decisions that require not only wisdom but courage.

WISDOM first, Lord! I feel like I am tiptoeing between wisdom and folly. I am either a genius or an idiot. I am so action oriented that I had plenty of courage to charge off before the whole picture was complete. Things looked simpler and easier. Courage is tougher now that I see everything more fully. I really need courage now, Lord.

It seems wise to move ahead, but I know there will be a price to pay. Good people whom I respect feel strongly that we should go another direction. They may be angry or hurt if I proceed. I may lose some dear friends and major support for our organization and for our mission—maybe forever. Is it really worth it, God?

Why does it have to be so hard when we are all trying to do what is right? I really did my best to actively listen to the concerns of others nd to carefully explain this thing to everyone. Still, here we are. If this truly is the right thing to do, why does it look like it is going to hurt the organization? Is this difficult because I am wrong, or despite my being right? Doing the right thing—morally and practically—should make me feel blessed. Why doesn’t it?

This isn’t just about me, Lord. Every day at every level of the organization, people make decisions with moral or ethical implications. Help them to know what is right in your sight, and give each one the courage to do it, every time.

In the long run, we should prosper by this course of action. But there is no long run if we do not survive the short run. I will trust that this particular short run will not destroy us. And if it does, I will trust you to take us through that also.

Thank you for the wisdom, Lord. Now give me the courage to act.

Reflections

Several weeks before I was to start as vice president of Fresno Pacific, the financial officer called to explain that the administrative computer system was in total collapse. I arrived in July. By October we had evaluated our options and prepared a recommendation for the church convention and the meeting of trustees. We found a computer, a software system, and a maintenance contract for a quarter of a million dollars.

The problem was that the institution had accumulated an operating deficit in the same amount. My first public action as a new administrator would be to ask a small church conference to approve doubling the debt of a struggling college that some thought should be shut down.

Courage is not an absolute virtue. A brave fool cannot lead any better than a fearful sage can. We believed we had as wise a plan as time and conditions allowed, but we needed the courage to propose yet more debt to skeptical owners. We knew there were powerful people who would oppose us. The decision could break the college if it failed.

Courage is contagious, just like fear. When champions stood up, the audacious proposal gained support and was approved. By January we were digging out, and in June an unexpected gift more than balanced the budget.

God honors the courage prayer if it follows the wisdom prayer.