Be strong and courageous is a frequent command in the Old Testament. Today’s guest blogger Melanie Gomez has learned that it applies to her today in her role as mom to a son with special needs and the work that requires.

Be strong and courageous. How many times have I heard sermons or teachings on these four words from the Bible? We recently spent an entire month teaching this theme to our elementary kids Sunday school class. Courage is one of the overarching messages in the Old Testament for the people of God.

Joshua received this emphatic commission before embarking on his epic adventures. King Hezekiah used it in his speech delivered to the people of Jerusalem on the eve of invasion by the Assyrians. But only recently did I discover this instance:

Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work.
Dont be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God is with you.
He will not fail you or forsake you. 
He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly.” 
1 Chronicles 28:20 (NIV)

In this verse the period isn’t after “courageous.” The command is completed with ”and do the work.” We don’t often associate courage with working. But here it is in the context of finishing a lengthy and tedious project. Boy does that fit the special mom’s job description! It’s not enough to be courageous at the doctor appointment, not just during the meltdown or crisis, the IEP meeting or hospital stay.

The truth is that courage is required to continue the work to its completion every single day—forever. As a matter of fact, I texted my husband at 9:01am today to say, “I’ve done more before 9am than most people do in a whole day.”

I love that in the translation above, David follows up with “Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you.” In this passage, a father is encouraging his son to complete a monumental project which will span his entire lifetime and define the lives and talents of entire generation of Israelites. Dad exhorts his son to be courageous, not by saying “I’ll be here by your side” but by saying “God, my God, is with you.”

How can you defeat the discouragement or fear that can seep into your heart after long days and longer nights? Know that the Lord God will be with you. He goes before you, He doesn’t leave you alone. He will not fail or forsake you. And He will see to it that all the work related to your “project” is finished correctly.

So meditate on the privilege and honor that He has ordained a specific plan and course for you and He promises to enable you to do the work.

Because my morning with my son Nick was so challenging on the day I texted my husband, I am sharing this picture of Nick’s Camper of the Day certificate that he received that same day. I hope it inspires you to be strong and courageous and to do the parenting work God has called you to do.

Pray with me: Lord, you know more than any other that my job  as a caregiver is work, it’s not easy and sometimes not fun. Thank you that your Holy Spirit can enable me to do the work joyfully and completely, so that I can achieve the great satisfaction of finishing what you created me to do. Be with me today, fill me with courage to continue this work.

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