Courage: The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear.
The above definition is how the dictionary defines courage. I kind of disagree with the last two words: "without fear." I looked up some quotes regarding courage, and it seems I am not alone in my disagreement. Here are some of the quotes...
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear." ~Ambrose Redmoon
"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear. Except a creature be part coward it is not a compliment to say it is brave." ~Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar, 1894
"Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway." ~John Wayne
"Courage is never to let your actions be influenced by your fears." ~Arthur Koestler
"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared." ~Edward Vernon Rickenbacker
You can't have courage without fear. They go hand in hand. The goal is to not let our fear overturn our courage. In some situations, great courage is required. But in others, you may only need a little bit. The important thing to remember in both situations is that courage is readily available when we need it, in whatever capacity we need it in. You know how I know? Because God promises to be with us wherever we go. He promises to never leave us or forsake us. If he is with us, then we can be assured that he will provide us with courage to face difficult circumstances. Our job is to accept His strength and resist the fear that comes from our enemy.
In the first chapter of Joshua, the Israelites are getting ready to cross over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, the land God had promised to them. After wandering the desert for 40 years, they were finally about to walk into their "promised land." Joshua had been given instructions by God to be the one to lead them. We're not talking about a small group of people here. There were more than two-million people that had to cross over the Jordan. Joshua needed some serious courage.
This is what the Lord said to Joshua in Joshua 1:5-9..."No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
God told Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. He knew the task was not going to be easy. God was encouraging him and telling Joshua that he would be with him. He also told him to meditate on His Word day and night and to be careful to obey everything in it. And that then he would be prosperous and successful. When we have a task to complete that requires great courage, we need to make sure that we are submerging ourselves in the Word of God. The Word of God is truth. The promises that God gave Joshua are the same promises he gives to us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will be with us wherever we go.
Joshua was Moses' right hand man for 40 years. He witnessed over and over again how God came through on his promises. Because he had assisted Moses for so many years, he was well-equipped to take over the leadership of the nation. If we want to be leaders, we need to learn from others so that we will be ready when the opportunity comes. If you need some courage, hang around with people who are courageous. Learn from their lives. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you to succeed, who will give you Godly wisdom. Most importantly, remember to have your quiet time with the Lord every day. He is our biggest encourager.
Some of the most courageous people I know are not people of great stature or great fame. They are ordinary people with extraordinary faith. They are what you might call my "silent heroes." They are prayer warriors and encourager's. When God says, "Go," they go. When God says, "Stay," they stay. They don't question Him because they know He will never lead them in the wrong direction. Courage, to me, is knowing that I must face what I can't see and trust God to take my hand and lead me into the darkness. Not two steps behind him, but walking right next to him until I'm on the other side. Sometimes it takes courage just to trust God. I know that may sound silly, but it's true. However, the closer we walk with Him, the more we are in His Word, the easier it will be to trust Him completely. We don't have to be the generation before Joshua who had to wander for 40 years in the desert and never enter their promised land. We can enter our "promised land" now! But, we must have courage and we must meditate on God's Word and be careful to do everything written in it. Then we will be prosperous and successful.
My promised land is coming. I can see it on the horizon. For me, courage begins with leaving my house and going and doing what God has called me to do. Some days it takes great courage to even get off my couch. Other days it only takes a little bit. What I know to be true is that in whatever measure I've needed courage, I've had it. If we will accept His strength, we can do anything!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
"Pruning"
Up until yesterday afternoon, my back deck was beginning to look a bit like the Adams family lived here. My potted plants looked very brown and sad after sitting through our big snowstorm a few weeks ago. I had only observed them from my back door and finally, after saying to myself day after day, "I really need to throw those plants out..." I decided to finally do it. To my surprise, when I looked into the pots I saw a lot of new growth way down at the base of the dead stems. I couldn't believe that the plants had survived! So, I brought them into the house (because gardening in 30 degree weather just isn't my thing) and got my pruning shears. It was amazing what a difference it made just cutting off the old stems. I have no idea if the new growth will actually make it through the rest of the winter, but the roots look really strong.
By now you might be asking yourself what the big deal is about pruning plants and why on earth I'm blogging about it. Well, for me it's a bit metaphorical. I've been doing some "pruning" in myself this week. Cutting away all the old, limp, brown, and dead flower stems reminded me of what I've been doing in my own life, emotionally. I probably could have just pretended that I didn't see the new growth in those pots and thrown them away like I originally planned. It would have saved some time and I could have stayed in my nice warm house. But, I would never have seen the vibrant green beauty of what lay underneath those ugly stems if I wouldn't have taken that time. I also have hope for those plants that they will actually survive now that they have room to breathe.
It's a bit like that with our lives and our emotions. We could go on with life, as is, and not ever take the time to prune the dead things that hold us back. It sure would be easier sometimes. It's easier because the pruning process can be uncomfortable, and sometimes really painful. In my case, it's been both. There are a lot of things that I thought I had dealt with years ago that I discovered this week were still there. They were buried pretty deeply. Facing some of these things has been really difficult, but completely necessary if I am ever going to move forward. Not just move forward emotionally, but also towards my physical healing. I've shared before that this neurological disease I deal with is very much connected to emotions and responds to emotional stress. Well, a lot of this emotional distress comes from years ago. Some is recent, but the patterns that my brain has developed, based on these negative emotions, goes years back. It's not like no new growth has gotten through because I've definitely grown from my experiences with this disease. But, the growth potential is huge if I can just complete this "pruning" process and not give up.
The amazing thing about flowers, and our lives, is that even though things can appear to look really dead on the surface, deep down in the soil the roots can still be strong. The plant can continue to gain strength, even though it appears to be dead. However, if the plant is not pruned properly, eventually the roots can dry up, become brittle, and lose their strength. And it can take a lot more work and a lot more time to revive that plant, if it's even able to be revived. Other times, on the surface, the plant can still look pretty good, but when it's pruned it's able to grow more beautiful and produce even more flowers. If your life right now looks dead on the surface, you may just have to dig a little bit to find some of that strength that I'm sure is in there. If it looks pretty good on the surface, there's always room for a little "dead-heading." We all have things that need to be pruned.
Colossians 3:8-10 says, "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." Vs. 12-14, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
Whatever your pruning needs are, whether it be the need to forgive someone, the need to rid yourself of anger, etc., ask God to show you what needs to be done and then let Him do it. Let him be the gardener. He will never prune too much and he will only prune what is necessary to bring new growth and make you healthy. I am excited to complete this particular pruning process and see what's in store for my health. I know it will be good!
By now you might be asking yourself what the big deal is about pruning plants and why on earth I'm blogging about it. Well, for me it's a bit metaphorical. I've been doing some "pruning" in myself this week. Cutting away all the old, limp, brown, and dead flower stems reminded me of what I've been doing in my own life, emotionally. I probably could have just pretended that I didn't see the new growth in those pots and thrown them away like I originally planned. It would have saved some time and I could have stayed in my nice warm house. But, I would never have seen the vibrant green beauty of what lay underneath those ugly stems if I wouldn't have taken that time. I also have hope for those plants that they will actually survive now that they have room to breathe.
It's a bit like that with our lives and our emotions. We could go on with life, as is, and not ever take the time to prune the dead things that hold us back. It sure would be easier sometimes. It's easier because the pruning process can be uncomfortable, and sometimes really painful. In my case, it's been both. There are a lot of things that I thought I had dealt with years ago that I discovered this week were still there. They were buried pretty deeply. Facing some of these things has been really difficult, but completely necessary if I am ever going to move forward. Not just move forward emotionally, but also towards my physical healing. I've shared before that this neurological disease I deal with is very much connected to emotions and responds to emotional stress. Well, a lot of this emotional distress comes from years ago. Some is recent, but the patterns that my brain has developed, based on these negative emotions, goes years back. It's not like no new growth has gotten through because I've definitely grown from my experiences with this disease. But, the growth potential is huge if I can just complete this "pruning" process and not give up.
The amazing thing about flowers, and our lives, is that even though things can appear to look really dead on the surface, deep down in the soil the roots can still be strong. The plant can continue to gain strength, even though it appears to be dead. However, if the plant is not pruned properly, eventually the roots can dry up, become brittle, and lose their strength. And it can take a lot more work and a lot more time to revive that plant, if it's even able to be revived. Other times, on the surface, the plant can still look pretty good, but when it's pruned it's able to grow more beautiful and produce even more flowers. If your life right now looks dead on the surface, you may just have to dig a little bit to find some of that strength that I'm sure is in there. If it looks pretty good on the surface, there's always room for a little "dead-heading." We all have things that need to be pruned.
Colossians 3:8-10 says, "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." Vs. 12-14, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
Whatever your pruning needs are, whether it be the need to forgive someone, the need to rid yourself of anger, etc., ask God to show you what needs to be done and then let Him do it. Let him be the gardener. He will never prune too much and he will only prune what is necessary to bring new growth and make you healthy. I am excited to complete this particular pruning process and see what's in store for my health. I know it will be good!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Miracle #4!
It's 5:20pm. What I should be doing is preparing dinner for my family. What I want to be doing is pouring my heart out on this blog. I guess it will have to be a little bit of both...I just paused to boil some water. Our luggage saga continues...we're almost to Day 10. Our bags are still missing and this morning was another two hours of filling out paperwork for the airline headquarters. Needless to say, this has been a stressful situation. But, why? Well, obvious reasons I guess. It would be stressful for anyone to lose their belongings. However, it hit me today that I have been letting this get to me way more than I really should. I have so much to be thankful for. I still have my husband, my kids, my family and my friends. We didn't lose ALL our belongings. Maybe some favorite things, but we still have our home and everything except what was in those two bags. There are a few things in my bag that are pretty much irreplaceable. But, they are just "things."
I remember a time about 14 years ago when I was in the middle of packing up my things to move back into my parents' house after my divorce (If you don't know me well, you may not know that I was previously married when I was very young.) Anyway, I had kept several cardboard boxes in a detached garage that were filled with various things like books, older clothes, paperwork, etc. However, there was a box that held almost everything that I had kept from my childhood. There were my girl scout uniforms, my vest full of patches, clothing and gifts that my Dad had brought back from various countries, a jewelry box that my Gramma gave to me when I was a young teen, all of my high school t-shirts that were painted for football games and senior year, my graduation cap, a quilt that my great-grandma made me when I was a baby...the list goes on and on. Out of all the boxes in that garage, only one was completely destroyed. Can you guess which one? My box of precious memories. What was even worse was that it was destroyed by sewer rats. Apparently my great-grandma's quilt made a very nice home for them. The smell was revolting and nothing could be saved. I was already experiencing so much "loss" at the moment that it was almost more than I could handle. Earlier in the day I had been working on dividing up our dishes, pots and pans, furniture, etc. I was losing my marriage, my step-son, (who I dearly loved), my truck, my house...it was heartbreaking. Losing all of my sentimental things was the topper of my emotional meltdown.
I have to admit, I cried for a week about those things that meant so much to me. Some of them were things I had hoped to pass down to my kids. In the end, I realized that they were just "things." I got over it. If our bags are never recovered, I know I will get over that as well. It's amazing how quickly our focus can get skewed. We can so easily get distracted from what's really important in life. (Hang on, I need to answer the phone...)
NO WAY!!! That was a very nice man from the airline calling to say he has our bags in his possession and that the driver will be here within the next four hours to deliver them! Praise God, Praise God, Praise God!!! I wish I could upload a video of my happy dance I just danced. Unfortunately, that would be extremely embarrassing and something I would never want on YouTube. I am so excited! Wow, OK, so the rest of this blog will be very different from what I had planned. God's timing is perfect. I think he was just waiting for me to completely give up this situation to him. I mean really give it up, which I did about an hour ago.
Why do we wait so long to trust the Lord completely? Why do we hold onto things that we have no control over, somehow thinking that we still have control? We would spare ourselves so much grief if we would just trust him instantly and let His peace flood our lives, taking away our anxiety. What an amazing lesson this is for me tonight! You would think I would have learned this long ago, especially since I've even blogged about it before! You must know, everything I write on my blog, I write for my own benefit as well as the people reading it. It sounds strange, but I guess I kind of learn from myself. Actually, I learn from the Holy Spirit. From now on I will try to learn a little more quickly. His still, small voice is what tells me, "Hey, everything is going to be OK. Trust me. It's in my hands." Yet, He can't force us to trust him. That is a choice that we make all by ourselves.
So, I am completely trusting in the fact that my bag will be in my hands in a matter of hours. I will rejoice when I open it and see all of my "things." But, you know what? I would have rejoiced anyway, even if I never saw my things again. That is how I know I'm trusting God...and I will never doubt Him again.
I remember a time about 14 years ago when I was in the middle of packing up my things to move back into my parents' house after my divorce (If you don't know me well, you may not know that I was previously married when I was very young.) Anyway, I had kept several cardboard boxes in a detached garage that were filled with various things like books, older clothes, paperwork, etc. However, there was a box that held almost everything that I had kept from my childhood. There were my girl scout uniforms, my vest full of patches, clothing and gifts that my Dad had brought back from various countries, a jewelry box that my Gramma gave to me when I was a young teen, all of my high school t-shirts that were painted for football games and senior year, my graduation cap, a quilt that my great-grandma made me when I was a baby...the list goes on and on. Out of all the boxes in that garage, only one was completely destroyed. Can you guess which one? My box of precious memories. What was even worse was that it was destroyed by sewer rats. Apparently my great-grandma's quilt made a very nice home for them. The smell was revolting and nothing could be saved. I was already experiencing so much "loss" at the moment that it was almost more than I could handle. Earlier in the day I had been working on dividing up our dishes, pots and pans, furniture, etc. I was losing my marriage, my step-son, (who I dearly loved), my truck, my house...it was heartbreaking. Losing all of my sentimental things was the topper of my emotional meltdown.
I have to admit, I cried for a week about those things that meant so much to me. Some of them were things I had hoped to pass down to my kids. In the end, I realized that they were just "things." I got over it. If our bags are never recovered, I know I will get over that as well. It's amazing how quickly our focus can get skewed. We can so easily get distracted from what's really important in life. (Hang on, I need to answer the phone...)
NO WAY!!! That was a very nice man from the airline calling to say he has our bags in his possession and that the driver will be here within the next four hours to deliver them! Praise God, Praise God, Praise God!!! I wish I could upload a video of my happy dance I just danced. Unfortunately, that would be extremely embarrassing and something I would never want on YouTube. I am so excited! Wow, OK, so the rest of this blog will be very different from what I had planned. God's timing is perfect. I think he was just waiting for me to completely give up this situation to him. I mean really give it up, which I did about an hour ago.
Why do we wait so long to trust the Lord completely? Why do we hold onto things that we have no control over, somehow thinking that we still have control? We would spare ourselves so much grief if we would just trust him instantly and let His peace flood our lives, taking away our anxiety. What an amazing lesson this is for me tonight! You would think I would have learned this long ago, especially since I've even blogged about it before! You must know, everything I write on my blog, I write for my own benefit as well as the people reading it. It sounds strange, but I guess I kind of learn from myself. Actually, I learn from the Holy Spirit. From now on I will try to learn a little more quickly. His still, small voice is what tells me, "Hey, everything is going to be OK. Trust me. It's in my hands." Yet, He can't force us to trust him. That is a choice that we make all by ourselves.
So, I am completely trusting in the fact that my bag will be in my hands in a matter of hours. I will rejoice when I open it and see all of my "things." But, you know what? I would have rejoiced anyway, even if I never saw my things again. That is how I know I'm trusting God...and I will never doubt Him again.
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