How do you stand up for something that’s right when your peers are pressuring you to do the wrong thing?

The question is really about having enough moral courage, about being an advocate for what you know is ethical, even if you stand alone. When I walk through the halls of my school, it is generally a nice and loving environment, but occasionally there are some people who are not doing the right thing. Sometimes I’ve stepped in and said things like, “Hey, guys, there’s no need for that.” Although their responses could be intimidating, they wouldn’t stop me or others from wanting to do the right thing.

Even though David, the shepherd boy, was small, and Goliath was huge and intimidating, David knew that the moral thing, the right thing, to do was to try to protect his town and people. By taking action, he demonstrated moral courage (Sam 17:20-27) – and he won.

Another person who was full of moral courage was Jesus. He showed tremendous courage in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus didn’t take the easy way out by fleeing to a friend’s house. He stayed in the Garden because he knew the right thing to do was to be obedient to God (Matt 26:36-56). His obedience enabled him to endure the crucifixion and then rise from the dead and finally ascend – to be the Way-Shower for all of us. Both David and Jesus showed moral courage by obeying God.