Courage

Courage, what a word. In our hospital time, courage was a foundational heartbeat as we put one foot in front of the other.

Courage is a strength deep in our bones that looks our fears in the face and sets our eyes higher. It’s a trust that clings to our anchor of peace when current circumstances look like a shipwreck. Courage is seeking God’s provision to give you just enough light for the next step in the midst of your darkness.

The question, “How did you have the courage to…” once stopped me in my tracks. It made me reflect on how we can truly “be strong and courageous” with anything by *His* strength and mighty power. 

It’s walking back in the NICU after receiving the phone call your daughter coded in the night. It’s trying bottle feeding again after so much struggle with aspiration & apnea episodes. It’s walking into L&D again after your delivery. It’s carrying your NICU grad now toddler into the ER to be admitted for oxygen support with pneumonia. It’s taking your fresh NICU grad to the pediatrician for the first time. It’s taking your first stroll outside after months inside the hospital walls. It’s making the call to schedule your first counseling appointment to process the depths of what you’ve walked.

Courage takes on so many beautiful & strong forms. It isn’t easy, but we can walk with comfort knowing that many verses that charge us with being “strong & courageous” finish with these reminders:

“It is the Lord your God who goes with you.”
“He will not leave you or forsake you”
“He will be with you”
“Do not fear or be dismayed”
“The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:9 & 1 Chronicles 28:20). 

We can take courage, because He is with us.