Joshua 1:16-18 Then they answered Joshua, "Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!"*

I have noticed over the years that people around me react to situations as they see me react.

I remember one incident when I was a lifeguard at Greenhill Lake Camp. We had these plastic green turtles as floating toys. If you held them underwater, they would spring up and skip across the surface of the water. These plastic turtles were cute, but they had a sharp beak and more than one child was bumped.

One day a turtle hit a little girl under the nose, giving her a very slight cut. It wasn’t serious, but I was surprised to see the line of blood. Before I could stop myself, I said, "Oh my."

She freaked out. I suppose she thought her face was about to fall off. It really was nothing, but my reaction set her off. It was a valuable lesson. People around me react as they see me react.

And so a couple of years ago Ian hit his thumb with a hammer. He wailed as a blood blister blossomed. By the time he found me he had calmed down a little, but he was still pretty upset. He held out his thumb so I could check it. "Congratulations," I said.

He looked at me like I had two heads. I could almost read his thoughts. "Are you crazy - my thumb hurts like this and you congratulate me???!?! What kind of response is that?"

"Yeah, congratulations. That’s the first of many blood blisters you’re going to have as a man. That’s cool."

He examined his thumb as if he’d just discovered it for the first time. "Neat!!" He ran off to show Mark. My reaction made all the difference.

I remember the third time I ever went lobster fishing. The first two times were beautiful days. The third day, however, brought gale force winds by late morning. We worked in the lee of the land as long as we could, but the size of the waves and the power of the water were astonishing. We couldn’t see boats in the next trough. 250lb bait tubs slid across the deck as if on ice. The wind howling through the rigging produced a feeling in me that was as close to terror as I have ever experienced.

And yet I was never afraid. I kept watching Vince, the captain of the boat, for his reaction. For him it was just another day on the water. I thought, "If he’s not worried, then I’m not."

As the people prepared to go into the promised land under Joshua’s leadership, they told him they would follow. They promised their obedience and loyalty, and they would take up his cause against anyone who did not. But there was one thing they needed from him.

"Only be strong and courageous." As their leader, they needed him to be strong and courageous. It was no good for him to be weak and lacking courage.

There are times when we need to be strong and courageous, not only because of what we are called to do, but because of those who follow us. We set the example for those who come along behind us. If we lack courage, then others around us will also.

"Troy, I don’t get this. Are you trying to say Joshua could never be afraid? I can’t relate to that."

We need to understand that fear and courage are not opposites. Courage is action despite fear. I am afraid, but I go anyway. I’ve heard war vets interviewed on tv say things like, "I was never more afraid in my life, but we had to do it." Fear and courage at the same time.

Fear doesn’t have to paralyse me. That’s where courage comes in. Our passage from Joshua today tells us that there are times we need to be strong and courageous for the sake of those who look to us, so that they may also have courage in the face of their fear. People look to us to see how they should react. When we react with courage, so will others.