It was a big weekend for the Murphy’s. Our family went from four to five as we welcomed our second son, Coen Matthew, into our family.

When each of our kids were born, we formed a prayer for them, based on the meaning of their name and our hope for their life. It serves as something that we continually come back to as we pray over them.

One of the reasons we love the name Coen is the meaning… Brave… (insert manly grunt here).

Our prayer for Coen is that he would be a man of faith and courage who seeks justice and reconciles people to God.

What I’m learning about courage in my own life is this. Courage is not always picking up a sword and charging into battle William Wallace style. Courage, much of the time, is about vulnerability.

Courage is about showing up and being present. Courage is about choosing, with all that I have (gifts, weaknesses, relationships, possessions, fears, failures, etc.), to trust God and step into the unknown. To risk, and enter in, putting myself out there – trusting Him.

That’s what I hope for my son. That he would be all in. I hope that for my own life as well…

Where does courage come from? Who or what do we draw from in order to face risk and be courageous?

When the Holy Spirit comes and indwells believers in the book of Acts, crazy things happen. The disciples begin to heal people, cast out demons, and even raise people from the dead. Pondering this recently, what struck me wasn’t any of these things but simply this… The eleven disciples shortly before the coming of the Holy Spirit were paralyzed by fear. Literally afraid for their lives. Hiding from people that might persecute them because of their relationship to Jesus.

And then they see Jesus.

And at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes and begins to dwell inside them.

And then there is a supernatural boldness  that comes over the disciples. They begin proclaiming the Gospel in ways that they could never have done a few days earlier. The “power” that the disciples received when the Holy Spirit came on them (Acts 1:8) didn’t just enable them to do miraculous things. It enabled them to be courageous as they followed Jesus.

True courage, I believe, begins with God. He is the source, as we rely on His Spirit and walk in obedience, trusting Him.

Praying for grace to trust Him more.