I've been talking a lot about being strong and courageous this past month.  For those of you that have followed along to some degree for NO FEAR NOVEMBER, hopefully you have put some being strong and courageous into action.

 I had the thought earlier in the month about how so many times we miss what that really looks like. Like most things, we only tend to see it when it's big and flashy.  We discount our strength and courage because it appears to us so un-flashy.  Because, of course, we see all of our behind the scenes, up close and personal.  This often times leads to our shortcomings and failures appearing bigger in our eyes than our strength and faithfulness.

We all love the stories where against all odds the man or woman rises up and conquers whatever the story line is.  We are all inspired when we hear about someone doing some big courageous thing and bringing change in our world.  It inspires us, but so often we think that person has something that we don't.  And that my friend is just not true.

Over and over again throughout scripture God tells (even commands) us to not fear,

 and to be strong and courageous.

So I'm guessing he put it in us or he wouldn't be commanding us to do something we are incapable of.

I've always loved the "Be Strong and Courageous" verses in the Bible.  But those words look a little different for me than they did a few years ago.   I used to only see the big and flashy.  You know the stuff that looked so successful that you knew it was taking absolute courage to pull that off.

 You know the big stuff...the stuff that we admire and long for because it is courage and strength exemplified.

We each long for it, because it's in us.

We just don't always recognize it.

Courage doesn't always look like William Wallace in Braveheart or Mother Teresa leaving her homeland to help those in need.

Sometimes it means staying where you don't want to...

Sometimes it's going to bed and choosing to wake up and live another day...

Sometimes it's doing what seems so insignificant every. single. day.

Sometimes it's standing when you feel like you have no strength...

hoping when you feel you have none...

trusting when your heart is crushed...

This is a picture of my nieces wrist she posted on Instagram earlier, with the words

"Learning to put my trust in God like never before...

every second of every day."

Choosing to trust God after the love of your life is in an accident and you are suddenly a single mom...

this is what strong and courageous looks like to me.

#Strong&Courageous

#NOFEARNOVEMBER