Faith & Courage

 

Courage is mine and so is faith. They are alive and personal, burning from within. Both have roots in my past, in my experience, belief and understanding. But both extend into my future where I cannot yet know or fully understand. They are at once both mystical and solid. Courage and Faith are sure and steadfast enough to stand on, but yet also misty, transparent and unable to touch or hold. They are difficult to define.

Courage is grounded in all I’ve conquered; the risks taken, rewarded and enjoyed. Courage builds, gains speed and strength from the past and moves me into my future. Courage shines light and hope on the challenges that I now face.

Faith has a history in past victories, but it is anchored in my future. Faith is a rope I hold and cling to. Faith is mine, but faith in not inside of me like courage is inside of me. My faith is in God and I hold it like a rope because all I need flows through that connection. Faith calls me into my future. Faith whispers to me of what I cannot yet fully know, but rather only glimpse. Faith moves me into growth, into the greater and better future that I cannot yet touch. Faith brings strength back to where I stand and dares me to believe that I can, and that I will; that I am worth this good future. Faith speaks a higher truth than where my feet stand and lights the next step before me.

Courage is required and it burns inside of me. Faith leads me, a glowing light that I reach for. But courage is how I move. Courage is required to access what faith allows me to see; to believe that I can and will. Courage is fuel that keeps me going when I’m not sure that I have what it takes.

Faith requires courage. Courage is ignited by faith. I steward courage within me and reach with faith towards a source greater than myself. The resulting combination is explosive and powerful, changing the landscape of my life.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
The loss of your friendship is no small thing My heart remembers you and still I love you In me there is a vacancy - the perfect shape of you      I have built a bridge to you Love is a risk – to give and receive Love makes you vulnerable to be hurt We opened our hearts to one another Shared life – joy and pain alike Now the absence of you is painful to bear When hurt and questions get loud inside my mind I return on my knees to the bridge I remember the times we laughed and cried together I rehearse the journey we shared – how you walked with me and I with you We shared strength and faith Walked together in joy and sorrow I remember what I know to be true of you I choose to let this truth rise up above the pain of losing you Questions and things I don’t understand The details that caused this separation I refuse to build a wall of my pain and my confusion      Instead - I build my bridge There is strength in all that we have shared I remember it until I feel it I pray for you and bles
Read more

Purpose & Resolve

Image
  I have always been a writer. I enjoy writing. I have journaled, written poetry, speeches, essays, reflections and narratives. I have always loved to write. As a young girl one of my dreams was to write children’ books. In college I wrote poems regularly as a way of processing the conflicting emotions and changes in my life. I wrote my book over the course of more than 7 years and for the first few years I wouldn’t have said I was writing a book.  I was just writing. I have always written; it just flows naturally. Even when I wasn’t trying to write on a regular basis, I would write and tuck poems, reflections and stories away in journals and notebooks. It was during the time that I was working on my book that I began to understand the transformation that was taking place inside myself. I was realizing that I had a message to share through my writing and that writing was more than something I could do , it was a part of who I AM . It is one of my purposes,   part of the fabric of who
Read more

Faith that Protects You

Image
  I’ve been thinking of faith and our response to doubt and fear. We all have questions that we cannot answer and doubts that threaten to erode the confidence of our faith. Fear too is common. Sometimes our fears are big and limit our ability to function, other times fear is quiet and we attempt to cover it with action and bold declarations. What is a faith-filled response to these enemies of faith? Ephesians 6 talks about the armor of God and the fiery arrows of the enemy. Faith is the shield we hold up that, according to Paul, extinguishes all the  flaming arrows of the evil one.   (Ephesians 6:16)   I’ve been pondering how exactly that works. If faith is a shield, it stands between you and the enemy’s attack. The arrows shot by the enemy are intended to hit us! Jesus said in John 10:10 that the enemy comes to rob, kill and destroy . Our enemy, satan, intends to kill or at least injure us! But the second half of that verse is that Jesus came to give life, and life to the fullest
Read more