Home of the Brave

I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the LORD your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go.

– Joshua 1:9

Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage was once required reading in high school English classes from coast to coast. Set on the bloody battlefields of the Civil War, this 1895 masterpiece was so realistic that the author often received letters from veterans, who wrote to inquire about his regiment. In fact, Crane was born six years after the war — the fourteenth child of a Presbyterian minister!

The Red Badge of Courage is the story of Henry Fleming, a naïve youth who, against his mother’s wishes, joins the Union Army to find his measure of excitement and glory. But Henry soon discovers the horrific realities of war when his regiment attacks the enemy from behind. Henry and several other soldiers run from the carnage. Wounded and bleeding from a stiff blow from a rifle butt (delivered by another “lost” Yankee), Henry eventually makes it back to camp with the help of a fellow soldier. Remarkably, no one suspects him of desertion.

Henry’s baptism of fire quickly changes the innocent young man into a battle-wise vet. He’s involved the next day in several frontline skirmishes with the rebel army. And later, his colonel compliments the former coward for his bravery in combat. Henry’s transformation was both remarkable and complete. It was just hours before that he had abandoned his comrades and run for his life. Now, Henry held the line and even encouraged his fellow boys in blue to fight even harder.

The Red Badge of Courage is not an overtly Christian novel. But as a “PK” (Pastor’s Kid) and former seminary student, it’s likely that the author knew a thing or two about redemption and the Power that enables regular people to do the seemingly impossible. It’s also likely that most of us can identify with Crane’s main character, Henry. We may not be facing a fierce enemy army on a distant battlefield. But we all struggle against intimidating foes of one form or another. Unemployment, debt, addiction, and disease are a few obvious examples. Is it any wonder that Satan uses fear as his primary weapon against Christ-followers?

The good news is that we’re not alone in the trenches. Our God is always with us, and he calls every Believer to be strong and brave. Moreover, we can be encouraged by the average people (like you and me) that our Creator enables to do extraordinary things. It was David — an obscure shepherd boy — who killed the fierce giant Goliath with a single stone from a slingshot. And this same shepherd boy eventually became the King of Israel and the one God called “… a man after My own heart.” 

Likewise, it was the apostle Peter, who quite literally dove into the deep end when he accepted Jesus’ call to walk on water. When Peter began to doubt (and sink), Christ saved him once the dubious follower called out in faith. Later, this same follower — who would soon deny even knowing Jesus — became a bold preacher of a growing faith-movement called The Way. Two books of the New Testament also bear Peter’s name. 

As Christ-followers, God doesn’t expect us to solve the world’s problems. Instead, it’s by having the courage to step out in faith and let Him work through us that we can make a world of difference.