Skip to main content

not so COURAGEOUS




If I had ten dollars for every time someone commented on how "courageous" I was for handling the changes I've experienced in this past year, I could buy a year's supply of Dunn Bros coffee beans.

Truth: I am not so courageous, and neither are most people. "Press on" is an operating system, not a character quality.

Fact: Numbness resembles courage, and allows people to do things as if they were robots. 

Courage is a real thing, but if I've had any courage this past year, God graciously flooded me with it to complete the next task. 

And the next.

Like deciding whether or not to move. And then deciding to say "yes" to the move, which resulted in a sold home. And then teaching a conference in Texas, flying to Minnesota, sleeping in my Minnesota home for one last time and then boarding a flight to Florida all within days.

Days. Saturday night I was flying from Texas to Minnesota. Sunday night I was saying "farewell" to a church family I've known and loved for decades. Monday morning, the moving truck backed into the driveway, put barcode stickers on everything and emptied the house. Tuesday morning, I was flying from Minnesota to Florida.

Delta ticket agent: "Where are you flying today, Mrs. Taylor?"

My reply: "Pensacola, Florida."

Delta ticket agent: "Vacation?" 

My reply: "Relocation." 

When the rececption team in the Delta Sky Club found out that I was relocating (they knew me well), they signed a card and gave me a gift before I left. Their kindness brought the tears I had managed to hold back at the ticket counter.

Courageous?

Robotic. Go. Move. Do. Again. But God does grant courage, and then He tells us to own it. He provides it, but we can choose whether or not we're going to grow into it. 

To "be of good courage" takes action on our part. It literally means "grow strong." And when we allow courage to take root and grow, it strengthens us. But we will need more. Life takes a steady supply of courage.

When things change in a way that you can't undo, courage is a form of life support.

No one signs up for an exclusive membership to the Adversity Club. It's an auto-enrollment. And when it's your turn for a special delivery, the surprise event is on your doorstep, free shipping and no returns.

And that's when we need the kind of courage that comes from God. Courage is better than bravery alone. Bravery is too much about us. Courage is about trusting God for strength we do not possess.

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9)

God went with Joshua into battle, and He is with me in Florida.

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)

Never assume that people are as courageous as they seem to be. It is possible to hide a mountain of fears behind a smiling countenance. Courage is not automatic, but God says to be of good courage, so I'm asking Him to teach me how to be of good courage, and He will also strengthen my heart in the process. 

He has an unlimited supply of courage, and we all need it. Especially if you look like you're so courageous when you're really not.
 

"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD." (Psalm 31:24)


Francie Taylor

Comments

  1. So beautiful Francie. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a timely post. Thank you. And p.s. I love you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wonderful and encouraging. I definitely needed this today. Thank you, Miss Francie!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Francie,
    So thankful to have had the opportunity so hear you again at the Deep South Ladies Conference. I too, have lost my husband recently after 45 years of marriage, and nearly 35 years in the ministry.I appreciate your words concerning raw emotions. People mean well, but sometimes you just aren't ready for all of their input. It has been a little over two years and yet at times it's as if it was yesterday. God's grace and mercy has helped me to take it one day at a time. I will be praying for you as you settle in there at Pensacola, and that God's grace will be your strength as you face the days ahead.
    In Christ,
    Sharon Helmic

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Was He Trying to Pick a Fight or...?

Why does the garage door malfunction ONLY when we're planning a big event? Or a trip? Or both? Blame it on Murphy's Law? Who was Murphy, anyway? Edward Aloysius Murphy ,  Jr.  (January 11, 1918 – July 17, 1990) was an American aerospace engineer who worked on safety-critical systems. He is best known for his namesake Murphy's law, which is said to state, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_A._Murphy_Jr. ) Okay all right, so an aerospace engineer is to blame for the poor timing of everything? I don't believe it. But I do believe that God allows things to happen so that He can have His way. The bright orange sticker on the wall in the garage (slapped unceremoniously over the bright yellow sticker on top of the silver sticker) listed the garage door company's phone number. Why do the repairmen paste their company labels on top of the others? Competition? Well then, why not just remove the other ...

Petty Little Things

You worked hard on that church event, but nobody recognized it. You aren't speaking to someone because you're holding a grudge over an offense that's so old it's growing mold. Your family wasn't personally invited to the fellowship (even though it was open to all), so you're considering changing churches. There is not one life-changing issue in this list of oversights, but it's often the little things that trigger big deals. Petty little things. Pettiness is a cause of many unnecessary disputes, leading people to have their days end poorly. Are you allowing some small thing to keep you trapped in a swirling cloud of negative emotions? When we do this, we're being petty, and it hurts us and repels others. Pettiness is a lot like a flu virus; once you catch it, people don't want to get too close, and you will need to get over it before you can function again. Pettiness comes when we allow minor issues to morph into major offenses.  When we re...

Free the Love

On Mt Soledad in La Jolla, CA I love the Lord. He's the best listener, hearing my prayers day after day, year after year. He loved me first, and now my life is one long thank-you note back to God. "I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live." (Psalm 116:1-2) I love my Norman H. Taylor, and I love him freely, richly, deeply. I wasn't just mouthing the words when we said our wedding vows over 30 years ago. We've seen better, worse, richer, poorer, sickness, health, and God has sustained us through it all. We are different, but yet we are one. "And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh." (Mark 10:8) I've learned from my widow friends (including my widowed Mom) to love my Norman without reservation. Family vacation in Pensacola, FL I love my children: Austen, Hillary, and Collin. The...