Skip to main content

What are you afraid of?

What is courage? 

A wise person once said "Courage isn't courage, until it's tested...and succeeds." 
We all wonder--and doubt--what we are made of, until we can see those challenges in the rear view mirror.  

As emotionally-wired creatures, we women are unfortunately prone to be motivated through every situation by one of two mind sets---either fear or courage. What are you afraid of?

I am sure it's safe to say the number one underlying fear, beneath every pang of guilt, every flush of embarrassment, and every hesitancy to speak up or step out, is fear of rejection or abandonment. This is, however, one thing we should never fear.  

Psalm 139 ...
I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. (Psalms 139:7-10 NLT)

When we hear the word, we think of firefighters, police officers and soldiers...women like Esther, Joan of Ark, Rosa Parks... and ;) Katniss, of course...These women have a common factor, and it's not fearlessness. Had they not been challenged with tremendous adversity, we would never had heard of them. They had troubles (big-time), fears, and issues, just like we do. They aren't heroes because they were immune to them--they are heroes because they overcame them. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Obligations

So, you made it through Monday, presumably... How many days have we wished away, that could have been significant in our life--or the life of another--if we had only "exerted ourselves," as Jane Austen so beautifully described it? So many things we know we should do--yet we don't. Yesterday, my husband traveled hundreds of miles for a 30-minute funeral, but I had encouraged him to go. It was important to the family, overall, but especially meaningful to the immediate family of his great uncle, who passed away.  Many times in our lives, we have these opportunities. Sometimes we take them; sometimes we do not. I have found that I always regret NOT going, rather than the reverse. It made me think -- it's time to look at our social and familial obligations in a different way. Once I read something written by a life coach who encouraged the philosophy of taking each day more deliberately--especially in the way we verbalize it. Instead of "I have to go to the st...
2 comments
Read more

SMART Goals: Week Two--Let's Make it Measurable

SMART Goals are Specific, first of all. I hope we have adequately covered that, via the "pick your battles wisely" philosophy. We mulled over priorities, meandered around realities, and meditated on possibilities...all in the spirit of choosing three essential goals for the year. Next, it is absolutely crucial that that we make our goals (outcomes) measurable. Without being measured, there is no definition of success (or failure, but we do not intend to be pessimistic so soon). You must know where this is going. If something is going to be measured, that brings some serious accountability into the equation---scary, huh? I don't know about you, but my blood pressure has a somewhat Pavlovian response that word--in the worst way...It makes you think about horrific things, such as report cards, the President's fitness test, and oh, yes, that dreaded but inevitable moment when the medical assistant in your doctor's office smiles and says, "now if you will just ...
Post a Comment
Read more

#INSUFFICIENT Part 3...Running on empty

Every day, in some way or another, we seem to come up short. Our output exceeds our income, and we are "in the red" when it comes to so many things, such as time, energy, money...even enthusiasm. Being tapped out seems to have become the norm, as we chase every opportunity, pursue countless friendships, enlist ourselves in every new cause, and rack up accomplishments, jam-packing our resumes, calendars, and Facebook friends list until we don't have a single spare moment to ourselves. From the outside, it looks like a "full life;" on the inside, it feels pretty empty. How can something so empty feel so heavy? First of all, "more" isn't necessarily "better." Have you ever been behind a group of tween girls ordering their drinks in a coffee shop? They like the fru-fru girly coffees, with lots of sugar, calories, and every possible option, extra this, extra that...Aside from taking FIVE-EVER (I just learned this term from my daughter-...
1 comment
Read more