Christmas and Courage

Courage is an essential quality, needed for success in both everyday life and spiritual growth. Fortunately, courage is an innate quality of the soul. We cannot avoid the challenges that come to us, because they are drawn by our own karma and the soul’s longing to be free.

Paramhansa Yogananda says it this way: “Every day is a fresh opportunity on the part of the human ego to gather more and more exploits of heroism. Meet everybody and every circumstance on the battlefield of life with the courage of a hero and the smile of a conqueror. Whatever comes your way and needs attention must be considered a duty. Duty is not imposed upon man by any super-power. It is the inherent urge of life toward progression.”

It is enlightening to contemplate the examples of great courage displayed in the lives of the great world saviors. Let’s imagine, for a moment, the courage demonstrated in the story of Christmas.

Mary was an unmarried teenage woman in the small village of Nazareth when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and asked her to bear a holy child. Her first act of faith and courage was to say yes to this astounding request. Whatever comes your way and needs attention must be considered a duty.

Joseph, who was betrothed to Mary, had to have the courage to defy the cultural norms of the day and accept her. Every day is a fresh opportunity on the part of the human ego to gather more and more exploits of heroism.

Courage reveals itself through the inner struggle needed to say yes to whatever comes our way and needs attention. There are many other examples of valor shown by the young holy couple: the difficult circumstances of the birth in a manger, the visitations of angels and the three wise men, and the courage to flee to Egypt in order to save the young savior. As Yogananda puts it, “It takes courage to renounce the known for the unknown.”

In these last four “Advent blogs” we’ve given a few examples of spiritual qualities, especially courage: Devi’s bravery in accepting a strange stranger into her home and giving him comfort, my challenge that we have the strength to “willingly accept whatever is mine to do,” and Devi’s challenge to have the resolve to forgive and “Bless all who ever harmed you, or ever wished you harm.”

Here, then, is a final challenge for this year. Look into your heart and find something that has “come your way, needs attention, and must be considered a duty,” but that you have been avoiding. Take on the challenge, face it head on, and conquer it, freeing yourself from its limiting cage.

During this holy season the Masters are supporting our efforts by sending powerful blessings of grace and courage. These are their Christmas presents to each of us, wrapped in joy and tied with the bow of love.

Devi and I also send you our loving thoughts and encouragement, that you may experience the Christ consciousness during this season and always.

Happy Christmas.

Nayaswami Jyotish