Today I have been thinking about a subject that may be a little misunderstood - COURAGE. Most people think that courage is what takes place when a person does something like rescue a little baby from a burning house or save someone from drowning. But, the older I get, the more I realize that courage is more than that. It takes a great deal of courage to face life's ordinary, everyday challenges. Every day we make choices which prove to the world, and ourselves, whether or not we are courageous. It takes courage to stand up for your convictions in given circumstances instead of caving in because it is more comfortable. It even gets down to the fact that we choose either to believe God is Who He says He is and trust Him or to cower in fear and doubt.

Some even say it takes courage to build a meaningful marriage. I can see that it takes an enormous amount of courage to let your spouse see you for who you really are - good or bad. It also takes courage to look your spouse in the eye and let him/her know that the marriage is in trouble and that you need to do something about it. What I'll call "relational courage" also applies to parenting. Doing the right thing when your child throws a temper tantrum and really looks cute (ugh!) but needs discipline takes courage as well.

I have come to realize that courage is only attained when I face my crippling fears and not run from them. Courage is something we all need and God wants us to have it. He says, "God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power." But, I do have to go after it. So, here I go!