Sound of Courage

How many of you remember the book/movie "Red Badge of Courage?" The young man who doesn't show courage but is rewarded for it. How about in the "Wizard of Oz" and the lion who wants to have some courage? He does a lot of "roaring" to try to demonstrate that he is courageous.

Typing that last word reminded me of the movie "Courageous" that followed four police officers and their families. You may think that their courage was found more on the police beat as they encountered different dangerous situations. That, however, is not the whole part of the case, rather their courage was found how they dealt with their spiritual life, their family life, their professional life and it all boiled down to integrity. How they would respond in life with the courage to stand up with integrity.

The sound of courage is not always what it seems...which brings us to this week's quote...

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow." ~ Mary Anne Radmacher

Not too long ago I was surprised that there were ducks whose call was not the normal "quack, quack." I had been taught and teach my kids about the idea that the sound a duck makes is "quack, quack." However, that was not the sound of all ducks.

Maybe there are times which courage roars and we presume that is the sound that "courage makes." What about thinking about other sounds that courage makes. It may not be loud and may be very quiet. In fact, sometimes it may not make a sound at all. Courage has a sound that is all its own in particular situations. Maybe the wisest is the quietest. Regardless, I like the sound of courage from this quote that challenges me to get up and try again tomorrow.

Now it's your turn...what sound has courage made in your life and when did that sound occur?

E-mail Encouragement: Go Paint!

What do you doubt about yourself? Our inner voice is usually the strongest of all the voices we hear. That inner voice could potentially be taking away from allowing you to do something great in life, which brings to this week's quote...

If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. ~ Vincent Van Gogh

One of the most respected painters of all time would probably have never become a great respected painter if he would have listened to his inner voice. By silencing that voice, he became a world renowned painter/artist. What is holding you back from becoming something bigger for God? Don't listen to the inner voice of doubt, but go out and see what happens when we decide to "paint"!

The world is your mission field canvas, so...what are you going to paint?

Grabbing my brush ~