Everyday Courage

Recently, a friend wrote me a letter, saying that I'm powerful. At that moment (and in many others), I felt pretty far away from powerful. I trust my friend and know she tells the truth, and yet I questioned her words. Me, powerful? But...how???

In another situation recently, I received a Priesthood blessing in which God blessed me with courage to endure. Reflecting back on it later that week, I again questioned, Me? Courageous?

Do YOU consider yourself courageous?

I soon turned to the wisdom of my Facebook community, asking my friends how they define courage. Below are their responses.

Do you see it? Can you tell who has courage?

• The father who takes the passenger seat so his teen can learn to drive.
• The mother who manages a household and children while her husband is away for long periods of time.
• The son who watches the horrors of 9/11 and two weeks later leaves home for a mission in a country filled with terrorists because he knows it's where God wants him to be and he has faith he will be protected.
• The daughter who gets married and moves to another state with her new husband.
• The son who, though still in college, chooses to get married and begin a family. He works and goes to school to provide for his family, struggling to make ends meet, but has faith it will all work out.
• The daughter who travels to a foreign country by herself. (And her parents, for letting her go!)
• The daughter who leaves friends at college behind because she feels like she is needed at home.

Are you getting the picture yet? If not, I'll give a few more examples.

• The man who musters the guts to ask a girl out.
• The girl who musters the guts to ask a guy out.
• The person who stands up for him/herself, regardless of what others might think or say.
• The friend who announces he's gay but still chooses to stay true to the morals and standards he believes in.
• The young couple who falls in love and saves sex for marriage
• The young adult who believes in and supports traditional marriage, whether he/she is married already or is waiting a special someone still.
• The couple that chooses to raise children in today's world.
• The couple that fights day after day, hoping to one day be blessed with a child of their own.
• The woman who takes the chemo medication weekly, week after week, month after month, because she hopes it will help her body beat the disease within.
• The young man who loses his health to cancer and a stroke, but chooses to find purpose in his trials and strengthens those around him with encouraging words.
• The overweight kid who says no to that piece of pizza.
• The addict who relapses and still fights to be drug-free.
• The recovering porn addict who turns to a spouse for support so they can build a stronger relationship and manage the struggle together.
• The foreigner who seeks to gain a grasp of a new country's language and risks sounding stupid in an effort to learn the language.
• The missionary in an area close to violence and yet continues to work on in faith.
• The young adult who stays home from a religious mission, serving as a missionary in his or her own right.
• The teen who waits to date until he/she is 16.
• The teen who is an example of modesty and clean language, no matter what their peers are doing.
• The individual who doesn't give up, no matter how fruitless his/her labors seem right now because they will eventually pay off.

Who has courage? Who are the brave ones? Let me tell you, courage isn't reserved for superheroes in the movies or soldiers, firefighters, and policemen. Courage is in each of us. Let me rephrase that:

WE ARE COURAGEOUS.

The first set of examples are from my own family. In addition to the examples listed by my friends in the image above, the second set represents everyday people I know and the struggles I've seen them confront and that I've confronted, too.

What do we learn from these words of wisdom in the above images? Fear is a common factor. Goodness knows, I have my fair share of fears, but I've learned the truth behind these words. I find myself often faced with something that scares me, but it usually comes down to telling myself, Stop thinking about what could happen and just do it. I force myself to stop thinking of the "What if" scenarios and act. We think so much about what could go wrong--what about what could go right?

Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

Are YOU strong? Rather, are you moving forward, despite fear? Do you have faith God has a plan for you and is helping you along the way? Are you getting back up after you fall? Are you doing hard things? Are you doing your best (not someone else's best but your own)? Are you trying in your own (albeit small) way to make the world a better place?

If you've answered, "Yes," to any the questions in the last paragraph, then yes, YOU ARE COURAGEOUS. I don't need superheroes; I have courageous friends like you. You are my everyday heroes. What's even better? We've got God on our side, helping us move forward. WE ARE POWERFUL.