BE BRAVE AND COURAGEOUS

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."--Joshua 1:9

Harriet Tubman, circa 1860-1875

I am sure that many of you may know who the person is that is pictured above. It is none other Araminta Ross. But others knew her as Harriet Tubman or Moses. She was born into slavery and suffered the hardships that came with that way of life. At some point, Harriet ran away and was able to escape to freedom, but she did not hold on to her freedom selfishly. She took a risk and made it her life's mission to make sure that other slaves crossed over to the land of freedom as well. She would go back to various plantations and rescued those who committed to escaping. And believe me, she took this task very seriously. It has been stated that she would carry a gun with her in order to discourage anyone that traveled with her from trying to go back to the plantation. It is said that she would tell anyone who dared to turn around that she would rather kill them than to have them go back and risk the safety of the others who did want to get to a place of better living. She continuously put her life on the line since there were those who would have done anything to put a stop to what she was doing. But it was her bravery and courage that allowed her to keep going, and it is evident in this statement that she made of Who gave her the ability to do what she did:

Twant me, ’twas the Lord. I always told him, “I trust to you. I don’t know where to go or what to do, but I expect you to lead me,” and He always did.

Tuskegee Airman Col. Charles E. McGee (photo by Pete Marovich For The Washington Post)

Charles McGee was born in December 1919 and became a Tuskegee Airman

in October 1942. This particular group of airmen was made up of all African American pilots who wanted to serve their country during World War II even while facing civil injustices of their own. Despite their circumstances, McGee and his unit were able to overcome many obstacles and stake a claim in history in a distinguishable and honorable manner. Mr. McGee received an honor recently that is worth noting. On February 4th of this year, he was given the honor of being promoted from colonel to brigadier general, and this was right after his 100th birthday! To find out a little more about Brigadier General Charles McGee's experiences as an airman, I have provided you with a video below. But I would be remiss if I did not include one of his quotes that fully expresses how he was able to live bravely and courageously when it was not so easy to do so:

"Do not let negative circumstances be an excuse for not achieving."