In my last post, I talked about Being Brave. Being brave takes courage. Sometimes a lot of it! I love the following quote –

“It’s OKAY to be scared. Being scared means you’re about to do something really, really brave.” Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love and a Dash of Sass.

I think it is true that many times we are scared before we are about to make a change. And the bigger the change, the more scared we can get. To move past being scared requires courage and I have a friend who is taking a tremendous leap of faith into the art of courage.

This person is checking into a treatment center that specializes in drug and alcohol treatment for 30 days. This step requires MAJOR courage. Courage to face the unknown. What will daily life be like? What emotions will come up in therapy that I may not be facing? So many unknowns but as the quote above states “…you’re about to do something really, really brave.”

Drew Barrymore had struggled with alcohol and drug addiction and I love her quote – “Life is very interesting… in the end, some of your greatest pains, become your greatest strengths.”

I do believe that through our obstacles we become stronger. So whether you are dealing with addiction, starting a new career or life, moving, getting out of toxic relationships or dealing with emotions that have been buried for years, takes tremendous courage. We all have experienced certain times in our life that we have to walk through fire to get to the other side. But once we get there we realize the courage it took to get to our new place. Courage we did not even know we had. But now we realize we had the strength to go through it. You just have to start somewhere.

And that somewhere can be a very small start. Even the littlest act of courage will give you the confidence to do more. And those little acts will give you the confidence to face bigger challenges in your life. My biggest challenge was losing my husband so young. I could not bear living life without him so I had a glass or two of wine at night to help numb the grief and loneliness. Not a healthy habit, I know, and luckily for me that time was short lived. It takes courage to face grief, loneliness and fear but I am here to tell you that you can come out the other side to a healthier you.

“Courage is being scared to death… and saddling up anyway.” John Wayne.
Below are a few lines from the poem Footprints in the Sand by Mary Stevenson.

“You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

I can tell you that God did carry me through all my tragedy and I am here to tell you that it can get better. You just have to have faith and trust that God is here to help you. You can turn your greatest tragedies into your greatest moments of strength and courage. And in the end, you will be a better, stronger person because of it.

Have the courage to take care of yourself and you will be amazed at the life that awaits you. You will be transformed just as the butterfly and dragonfly transform. Truly all of nature transforms itself at one time or another. It is the cycle of life. Go through your own metamorphosis. Is it your time to transform?

“Just when the caterpillar thought “I am incapable of moving,” it became a butterfly.” Annette Thomas.
You can move. You can change. You can transform. You are one of God’s children and you matter. You are important. You are special. And you are loved!