When some people think of valor, they think of Pokémon Go. When I think of valor, I immediately think of knights. Warriors from days long past, whose code of chivalry, honor, and bravery led them to perform incredible heroic feats. Valor is defined as the strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness and personal bravery. In a day and age where we romanticize the age of knights, this definition seems spot on!

While pondering valor today, it occurred to me that our generation is facing incredible danger. Maybe not the kind with quests and sword fights, but danger nonetheless. With all of the bombardment of politics, expectations, schools, work, relationships, temptations, trials, and other crazy things going on in our lives, we could use some valor.

We may not be knights in the ancient sense of the word, wearing shiny armor, and wielding swords, but as we find our inner strength, we can become knights of modern times, helping others in the war against the darkness there is in the world.

Although our fears may hold us back, we should look inwardly for our strengths. Often our strengths are what lead to valor. Once you have confidence in what you can do well, you can work on gaining confidence in those things that cause you to doubt yourself. It can be difficult to find the valor that is inside of you, but once you let it out, you'll find that it is a lot easier to face the world with courage than with fear.

Striving for valor can lead to you discovering things about yourself that you didn't know before- things that can help you as you wade through the distractions and destruction of life. Although you may be surprised by what you learn about yourself as you go forth with valor, you may also find that you knew you had it in you all along

Although our first thoughts may be of ancient knights and their old codes of honor, we are equally able to take valor under our wing. We can become knights in these modern days, with the valor itself being both our armor and our weapon against the dangers of the world. We do not have to live in fear of what is to come. Instead, we can look with courage and faith towards the future. We can fight our battles, and although we may not always win, we can always get up again. We may not win every battle, but that does not mean we cannot win the war.

Our courage in being true to ourselves, our beliefs, our hopes, our fears, and our dreams can lead us down paths that will make us happy. We will be able to understand ourselves and others better than we may have otherwise.

Strive for valor, my friends! Become modern knights in this dangerous world.