Courage!
Dan Kunz
Spoon River Anthology, a collection of poems by Edgar Lee Masters, was published in 1915. Spoon River is a fictional town modeled after Masters’ hometown of Lewiston, Illinois. He populated Spoon River with a number of fictional characters who speak to us from the grave in their epitaphs. The residents of Spoon River are a collage of rural America at the time, both good and bad, triumphant and defeated, charismatic and retiring. For example, George Gray’s tombstone is a symbol of the times, but also a cautionary tale for us today.
The picture on George Gray’s tombstone is of a boat with furled (rolled up) sail, at rest in a harbor. That concept is appropriate for a Christian who has fallen asleep in the Lord. Unfortunately, in the case of George Gray, he says that it is not so much a picture of his death, as it is his life. In the poem which bears his name, Gray states that his ship never left the harbor because of his fear(s). He was afraid to fall in love, because he might be hurt. He was afraid of feeling sorrow because it might overwhelm him. He shunned ambition because he didn’t want to take chances. Basically, he never did anything, never left the harbor. Now, when it is too late, he realizes that one has to take chances in life, in order to get something out of life. You have to lift the sail and catch the wind.
May George Gray’s epitaph never be ours! The Apostle Paul puts it this way in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a timid spirit, but a spirit of power and love and sound judgement.” We can apply this spirit of power to virtually every aspect of our lives - parenting, business, old age, love, or anything else. We need not be fearful of any choices or chances. The Father is backing us up. The Spirit encourages us. The Son has already won the most important battle for us. Through the pages of history, God has always upheld his people. Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be terrified before them, because the Lord your God is going with you. He will not abandon you and he will not forsake you.” If God stood next to his people in war, wouldn’t he even more so stand next to his people in their daily lives? Of course!
Our world today contains a lot of scary stuff – COVID and all its variants, violence in the streets, political turmoil, anti-Christian sentiment, and on and on. It would be easy to jump into bed, pull the sheets over our heads, and stay there until Jesus returns. That’s not what our Heavenly Father wants for us. We are the children of the King and he wants us to behave accordingly. He has promised to guard us and protect us. He has promised to be with us. He has redeemed and purchased us with the blood of his Son. If God be for us, who can be against us? Be strong and courageous!