courage

"Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say on the Lord!"  (Psalm 27:14) 

What is courage?  Courage is that thing, that unction, that grit inside that just won't give up.  It is being full of fear but pressing in and pressing on anyway.  It is standing up when everything in you wants to sit down.  It is the will to keep going when every voice and every thing, both internally and externally, are screaming for you to Stop!!!  Courage is driven by a cause and often fueled by love.  Courage sets its mind to fight despite its fears.  Courage is bravery wearing combat boots...

Courage is waiting on the Lord, trusting that He knows what is best for you...

Courage is doing what God asked you to do even at the risk of losing someone you dearly love...

Courage is trusting God even when you can't see a positive outcome...

Courage is walking out of your past even when your past doesn't want to walk out of you...

Courage is pouring yourself out for others even when you receive nothing in return...

Courage is praising God even when your body is unrecognizable and the pain you feel is unrelenting...

Courage is facing all that lies within, so that you can truly thrive without...

Courage is standing at the bottom of a vast mountain that appears impassable, telling it to move by faith...

Courage is "walking through the valley of the shadow of death" knowing that shadows can only be seen in the presence of light... (Psalm 23:4)

Courage is letting go of all that you were in order to become all that God says you truly are...

Courage is being rejected but knowing that you are never forsaken...

Courage is being broken but not being bitter...

Courage is being vulnerable, being open again even though your were deeply wounded...

Courage is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, "...being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:44) 

Courage is Christ on the Cross bearing all of our sin and shame...

Jesus did not stop until He accomplished the Father's goal of redeeming us.  Likewise, courage does not stop until it accomplishes its desired goal.  Courage never quits.  It takes immense courage to "fight the good fight of faith." (1 Timothy 6:12)  To stand against sickness, doubt, discouragement, depression, rejection, worry, loss, slander, temptation, evil, self, and the enemy.  BUT, when you are His, your courage is fueled by His strength so that you can "...be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." (Ephesians 6:10)  

So don't you give up, don't you quit...keep praying, keep believing, keep pressing, keep standing, keep moving forward, keep leaning in, keep trusting, keep on and on and on and on...until you see what you have believed for...NEVER GIVE UP!!!! "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest IF we do not give up!!" (Galatians 6:9-emphasis added)

So what are you up against today?  Do you need the courage to fight an illness?  Do you need the courage to say "I'm sorry."?  Do you need the courage to be honest with someone? With yourself?  Do you need the courage to start again?  Do you need the courage to simply believe?  Courage resides within you.  Trust in Him, abide in Him, and you will have all the courage you need...always!


Written by Anne Marie Hawke 
Quiet in Chaos 2018
For more information or to subscribe, visit my website: hawkewriter.com