Ed Block Courage Awards

I am sitting in my hotel room in Baltimore Maryland getting ready for The Ed Block Courage Awards.  These prestigious awards are given to one NFL player from each team who demonstrates courage, compassion, commitment and community.  What makes a person courageous?  The dictionary defines courage as the quality of mind or spirit that allows a person to face danger, difficulty or pain without fear.  However, can we really face these challenges without fear?  When Daniel was thrown into the lion's den was he without fear?  When you hear a report from the doctor that you have a terminal illness, does a courageous person face this crisis without fear?  I don't think so.  Nehemiah chapter two says "I was very much afraid, but I said to the king".  Courage is not the absence of fear.  It is the power to overcome fear.  Nehemiah spoke in spite of his fear.  Courage is the presence of mind to act in the face of paralyzing circumstances.  Nehemiah knew that the penalty for his act was death, so where did his courage come from?  I believe his courage arose from a conviction and a commitment.  A conviction that what he was doing was both right and necesarry, and a commitment to God.  He was convinced of the worthiness of his cause and the greatness of his God.  Therefore, true courage is not some arbitrary power that you can summon up any time you need it.  It is built upon the foundation of conviction, commitment and character.  And it is housed under the roof of a worthy cause.