{"id":427,"date":"2025-03-16T20:40:31","date_gmt":"2025-03-16T20:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/?p=427"},"modified":"2025-03-16T20:40:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-16T20:40:33","slug":"what-does-courage-look-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/16\/what-does-courage-look-like\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Courage Look Like?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I bought a necklace with the words, \u2018<em>Courage, dear heart. &#8211; C.S. Lewis\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>I was drawn to it the moment I saw it on a social media post.\u00a0\u00a0I knew the message was for me.\u00a0\u00a0I felt like God Himself was whispering the words directly to me the moment I saw it, just like Lucy felt sure that Aslan had whispered the words to her.\u00a0\u00a0At the time, I had no clue as to why I might need this reminder, but I am so thankful that God in His loving kindness was preparing me for what was to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Be strong and courageous.&nbsp;&nbsp;Do not be afraid or terrified because of them\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Season of Doubt<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;Everything was going fine until it wasn\u2019t.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was continually pouring my heart out through my writings.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was like God never stopped speaking to me.&nbsp;&nbsp;My purse, car, and office were overflowing with sticky notes full of writing prompts.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was blogging, vlogging, and had even started to do random live Instagram posts about what God was doing in my life.&nbsp;&nbsp;This was out of my comfort zone, but I felt compelled to share what He was teaching me.&nbsp;&nbsp;So I pressed on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My family was on board.&nbsp;&nbsp;My coworkers read my blog.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;My friends and relatives watched my vlogs.&nbsp;&nbsp;In my immediate family and friend circle everything was great, everyone was supportive.&nbsp;&nbsp;But then, my church family found out.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People that only knew about me, but didn\u2019t know me began to gossip.&nbsp;&nbsp;Gossiping turned to back stabbing and false accusations.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then my very own words began to be taken out of context and used as weapons against me.&nbsp;&nbsp;My peaceful path of obedience had become a treacherous road of hostility.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I tried to continue on, but everything that I wrote had to do with what I was walking through.&nbsp;&nbsp;Time after time, I would write a blog to only have it rejected by my accountability partners.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not because it was unkind, untrue, or anything else like that, but because there was no way to share the truth of what I was walking through without giving my accusers more ammunition to use against me.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, I entered a time of waiting, a sabbatical of sorts.&nbsp;&nbsp;It went on for a longer period of time than I anticipated.&nbsp;&nbsp;It stretched on until I lost hope that I would ever have the desire to write again.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u2026But, eventually, my time of rest came to a close and I was once again prompted to engage.&nbsp;&nbsp;The only problem now was that I had doubts, doubts about my writing.&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Did God still want to use me this way or was I the one that wanted to reengage?&nbsp;&nbsp;Had my long rest disqualified me<\/em>?&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Had I disappointed God by needing it?&nbsp;&nbsp;If I picked up my pen again, would the Holy Spirit still be there in my writings or would they lack His presence?&nbsp;&nbsp;If I did get His nod of approval, how would I reengage without having to explain my time off?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These questions, this doubt was exactly why I needed to take courage.&nbsp;&nbsp;God knew that I would come to this place, this point in time, and that I would need to take a leap of faith once again.&nbsp;&nbsp;He knew that I was going to have to walk out on a new branch of trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through tears I asked my pastoral team for prayer and began to seek God\u2019s face about my writing.&nbsp;&nbsp;One evening I came across one of my old Bible journals where I had poured out my heart to God when I was struggling with laying aside my writing.&nbsp;&nbsp;In this entry I&nbsp;&nbsp;asked Him how I would ever be able to put myself back out there again after everything had come to a stop.&nbsp;&nbsp;While rereading my heart cries to God, He reminded me about the necklace.&nbsp;&nbsp;I ran upstairs and combed through my jewelry until I came across it.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I rushed back downstairs holding this forgotten treasure in my hand, grateful that God had prepared this for me in advance.&nbsp;&nbsp;He knew just what I would need to resume.&nbsp;&nbsp;After clasping this necklace around my neck, I found myself asking God to give me the courage I needed to go forth.&nbsp;&nbsp;I asked Him to give me the words if he wanted me to pick up my pen again.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After praying, words began to flow out of me.&nbsp;&nbsp;I am so thankful that God had prepared me in advance.&nbsp;&nbsp;And that my need for rest, my humanity, didn\u2019t disqualify me from His service.&nbsp;&nbsp;He is my qualification, my righteousness, all that I need to walk through everyday.&nbsp;&nbsp;He gives me courage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is there a part of your life where you need to step out with a Courageous heart?&nbsp;&nbsp;Or maybe you feel like God is nudging you toward a season that you just don\u2019t have the courage to walk through?&nbsp;&nbsp;Are you having a hard time mustering the courage to stand firm for God among the hostile views of your colleagues, friends, or family?&nbsp;&nbsp;If so, take heart.&nbsp;&nbsp;God has overcome the world and there isn\u2019t anything that we have or will walk through without Him right there beside us.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Lord, God, thank you that no matter what we walk through, you have already gone before us and will go with us.&nbsp;&nbsp;Help us to not get distracted by our circumstances but to be kept in perfect peace because our hearts trust in you.&nbsp;&nbsp;Please give us the courage to step out in faith no matter what that first step looks like.&nbsp;&nbsp;In Jesus\u2019 name, Amen.&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>John 16:33 (NIV) \u201cI have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.\u00a0\u00a0In this world you will have trouble.\u00a0\u00a0But take heart!\u00a0\u00a0I have overcome the world.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Joshua 1:9 (NIV) \u201cHave I not commanded you?\u00a0\u00a0Be strong and courageous.\u00a0\u00a0Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) \u201cFor God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) \u201cYou will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I bought a necklace with the words, \u2018Courage, dear heart. &#8211; C.S. Lewis\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0I was drawn to it the moment I saw it on a social media post.\u00a0\u00a0I knew the message was for me.\u00a0\u00a0I felt like God Himself was whispering the words directly to me the moment I saw it, just like Lucy felt sure that Aslan had whispered the words to her.\u00a0\u00a0At the time, I had no clue as to why I might need this reminder, but I am so thankful that God in His loving kindness was preparing me for what was to come. Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)&nbsp;&nbsp;Be strong and courageous.&nbsp;&nbsp;Do not be afraid or terrified because of them\u2026 A Season of Doubt &nbsp;Everything was going fine until it wasn\u2019t.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was continually pouring my heart out through my writings.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was like God never stopped speaking to me.&nbsp;&nbsp;My purse, car, and office were overflowing with sticky notes full of writing prompts.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was blogging, vlogging, and had even started to do random live Instagram posts about what God was doing in my life.&nbsp;&nbsp;This was out of my comfort zone, but I felt compelled to share what He was teaching me.&nbsp;&nbsp;So I pressed on. My family was on board.&nbsp;&nbsp;My coworkers read my blog.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;My friends and relatives watched my vlogs.&nbsp;&nbsp;In my immediate family and friend circle everything was great, everyone was supportive.&nbsp;&nbsp;But then, my church family found out.&nbsp;&nbsp; People that only knew about me, but didn\u2019t know me began to gossip.&nbsp;&nbsp;Gossiping turned to back stabbing and false accusations.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then my very own words began to be taken out of context and used as weapons against me.&nbsp;&nbsp;My peaceful path of obedience had become a treacherous road of hostility.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; I tried to continue on, but everything that I wrote had to do with what I was walking through.&nbsp;&nbsp;Time after time, I would write a blog to only have it rejected by my accountability partners.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not because it was unkind, untrue, or anything else like that, but because there was no way to share the truth of what I was walking through without giving my accusers more ammunition to use against me.&nbsp;&nbsp; So, I entered a time of waiting, a sabbatical of sorts.&nbsp;&nbsp;It went on for a longer period of time than I anticipated.&nbsp;&nbsp;It stretched on until I lost hope that I would ever have the desire to write again.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u2026But, eventually, my time of rest came to a close and I was once again prompted to engage.&nbsp;&nbsp;The only problem now was that I had doubts, doubts about my writing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Did God still want to use me this way or was I the one that wanted to reengage?&nbsp;&nbsp;Had my long rest disqualified me?&nbsp;&nbsp;Had I disappointed God by needing it?&nbsp;&nbsp;If I picked up my pen again, would the Holy Spirit still be there in my writings or would they lack His presence?&nbsp;&nbsp;If I did get His nod of approval, how would I reengage without having to explain my time off? These questions, this doubt was exactly why I needed to take courage.&nbsp;&nbsp;God knew that I would come to this place, this point in time, and that I would need to take a leap of faith once again.&nbsp;&nbsp;He knew that I was going to have to walk out on a new branch of trust. Through tears I asked my pastoral team for prayer and began to seek God\u2019s face about my writing.&nbsp;&nbsp;One evening I came across one of my old Bible journals where I had poured out my heart to God when I was struggling with laying aside my writing.&nbsp;&nbsp;In this entry I&nbsp;&nbsp;asked Him how I would ever be able to put myself back out there again after everything had come to a stop.&nbsp;&nbsp;While rereading my heart cries to God, He reminded me about the necklace.&nbsp;&nbsp;I ran upstairs and combed through my jewelry until I came across it.&nbsp;&nbsp; I rushed back downstairs holding this forgotten treasure in my hand, grateful that God had prepared this for me in advance.&nbsp;&nbsp;He knew just what I would need to resume.&nbsp;&nbsp;After clasping this necklace around my neck, I found myself asking God to give me the courage I needed to go forth.&nbsp;&nbsp;I asked Him to give me the words if he wanted me to pick up my pen again.&nbsp;&nbsp; After praying, words began to flow out of me.&nbsp;&nbsp;I am so thankful that God had prepared me in advance.&nbsp;&nbsp;And that my need for rest, my humanity, didn\u2019t disqualify me from His service.&nbsp;&nbsp;He is my qualification, my righteousness, all that I need to walk through everyday.&nbsp;&nbsp;He gives me courage. Is there a part of your life where you need to step out with a Courageous heart?&nbsp;&nbsp;Or maybe you feel like God is nudging you toward a season that you just don\u2019t have the courage to walk through?&nbsp;&nbsp;Are you having a hard time mustering the courage to stand firm for God among the hostile views of your colleagues, friends, or family?&nbsp;&nbsp;If so, take heart.&nbsp;&nbsp;God has overcome the world and there isn\u2019t anything that we have or will walk through without Him right there beside us.&nbsp;&nbsp; Lord, God, thank you that no matter what we walk through, you have already gone before us and will go with us.&nbsp;&nbsp;Help us to not get distracted by our circumstances but to be kept in perfect peace because our hearts trust in you.&nbsp;&nbsp;Please give us the courage to step out in faith no matter what that first step looks like.&nbsp;&nbsp;In Jesus\u2019 name, Amen.&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":429,"href":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427\/revisions\/429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faith-e-tales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}