{in}courage
Courage [kur-ij]noun: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.
I’m not sure about y’all, but most of the time I’m pretty certain that the quality of my mind (and spirit) is pretty darned discouraging! I go through days weeks feeling inadequate as a mother, as a friend, as a wife, as a daughter, and certainly as a Christian woman. It’s a wonder with all of today’s pressures that any of us can manage to even get out of bed in the morning. But get up and face the day we do.
My courage comes from the abundant blessings that my Almighty Father has showered on me. These blessing are too many to possibly list, but here’s a small sampling of those that are forefront in my mind today:
- the feel of a small hand clasping mine as we walk down the street
- the warmth of the Hubster’s hug at the end of a long day
- the innocence of a boy’s prayers before bedtime
- the faith of a friend facing the battle of her life
- the trust of another friend facing a new chapter in her journey
- the memory of a brilliant sunset over the foothills of NC
- the pilgrimage of a {church} family to help strangers build their homes
- the love of a Father who knows my faults
- the Words of my Saviour who rescues me fromdespair
How do you find courage when you’re feeling inadequate?
So, have y’all seen the excitement that is {in}courage? It doesn’t go live officially until Monday, but just reading the list of fabulous women who are behind the scenes, it’s obvious that this place will be a blessing to oh-so-many women.
Lovely Mama, thank you so much for stopping by (in)courage and linking up! I can relate to your description of feeling inadequate much of the time. I’m slowly learning we are enough because He is enough. Sometimes it seems it’s going to take a lot of time (perhaps even a life’s worth) to get that all the way from my head to heart! (: I do believe sharing the journey is going to make the trip a bit faster (and a lot more fun!).
What a beautiful post! It is so easy to be discouraged and to see only what has not yet been done … thank you for the reminder to focus on the blessings and faithfulness of our Mighty God!!
I just stopped by from the (in)courage site. I loved your post. I’ve been feeling so inadequate lately, too. And the things that have been encouraging me are very similar to your list. Thanks for sharing. : )
Great list…awesome picture…
m ^..^
I do believe you have hit the nail on the head.
It is so hard to feel encouraged, much less encourage others, when we try to stay true to who we are in the world we live in.
How I wish I could instantly turn to the Father of encouragement FIRST, instead of when I am overwhelmed and frustrated.
I do believe this whole (in)courage thing is going to be good for a lot of things, one of them being a network of women dedicated to turning the frustrations and stresses of living in a fallen world into the praises and worship of the One who sees it all.