Category: Fear
-
Stepping Out Within the Storm
Self-preservation is a strong instinct. When waves lap over the bow and wind batters my ship, human nature urges me to hunker below deck. Stepping out within the storm wouldn’t even cross my mind. But this is exactly what the apostle Peter did. Were Peter’s actions simply a moment of impulsiveness? Or is there more…
-
Be Not Afraid: Advice from a Shepherd King
I was made to be a warrior. Not the kind who wields sword or spear like a medieval knight. But one who dons the sturdy armor essential for spiritual warfare. Slings and arrows of evil fly all around me. Yet, I refuse to cower in fear. The Lord stands at my side. His angels call…
-
Risking Failure: Stretching Beyond Natural Abilities
Many years ago, a friend of mine told me of some odd advice given him by his high school counselor. This friend was brilliant and was headed to the Air Force Academy. He was successful in everything he had done up to that point. But his counselor advised him to purposely choose to do something he…
-
Can We Learn to Live with Risk?
The level of anxiety in my world is exhausting. I love my work, but this is hard. Trying to be a light in desperate times takes a fortitude I’m not sure I possess. Yet, this is the reason I started the ‘Coeurageous’ blog, long before Covid 19. The raised sense of anxiety started on 9/11,…
-
Washed Clean by the Power of Love
Rain has fallen off and on all morning. One moment the sky drizzled while the next it poured. I sat at my computer watching through my window as I worked from home. Finally the sun broke through the clouds. Its rays made the water droplets on the plants in my flowerbeds sparkle. After my workday…
-
Courage in Spite of Circumstances
‘Courage in spite of circumstances is a choice’. Every day we face this decision. As humans, we cower in fear or we choose to step out instead into the uncertainty. The world is a scary place. If we’re honest, we recognize it’s always been this way. The objects of our fear shift from year to…
-
Battling the “Not Good Enough” Dragon
We arrived home late last night after spending three days in Michigan at the Maranatha Christian Writer’s Conference. This was my second year to attend and I felt better prepared as I walked into the lodge to check in on Thursday. I copied samples of my writing: devotions, short stories, blog posts and even a…
-
9/11: A Seminal Event
We chronicle the passage of our lives by events. Each year of my life is commemorated by births, deaths, marriages and divorces that occurred within them. These events delineate specific beginnings and endings. Some events become seminal for a generation, denoting the beginning and ending of eras. They are like lines drawn in the sand…
-
Stand Firm and Be Still
“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring to you today…The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13-14 It has been said that “Do Not Be Afraid” or “Fear Not” is stated in the Bible 365 times, one for each day…
-
Coeurage Through Fear
There is a misconception that those who are brave and courageous are never fearful. I have read many accounts of individuals who accomplished amazing, heroic feats. Invariably, they all say that they were fearful yet they acted anyway. They were able to push through the fear rather than run away from it, sometimes at the…
