Courage

Hi There! Happy (almost) Thanksgiving! Today I wanted to share a story that deeply touched my heart about my six-year-old daughter, Ellie. I hope it touches yours, too.

Last week, I was picking Ellie up from school when her teacher hesitantly approached me and said, “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell you this or not, but I think I will.”

Suddenly my thoughts were flooded with possibilities of what might have happened. She eased my fears a little by starting off with, “Ellie is the sweetest…” She told me how, in class that day during Bible time, she was teaching about how Jesus helps us and is with us when we are afraid. One of the students admitted to being scared of the dark, so the teacher encouraged the student by sharing how we don’t have to fear because Jesus is with us.

Ellie raised her hand and, with tears welling up in her eyes, said, “Before my Daddy died, he told my Mommy he wasn’t afraid to die because he knew he was going to be with Jesus.” With tears rolling down her cheeks she continued, “My Daddy taught my Mommy how to have courage when she was afraid.”

When she finished telling me the story we both had tears in our eyes. I hugged her and thanked her for telling me. I could tell God used my little Ellie that day to minister to the hearts of her classmates, her teacher, and me, her mom.

“For God did NOT give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7.

Overcoming fear continues to be my life’s greatest challenge. I’m naturally bent toward fear, which is why I celebrate every little courageous decision. One of my life goals is to not let fear control my life, because I know if I do it will be my biggest regret.

Life takes courage.

Through his battle with cancer, Andrew showed me how to choose courage in the face of fear. He taught me how to have faith even when life doesn’t work out the way I want it to.

Every day I’m confronted with new opportunities to choose courage in spite of being afraid. Whether it’s something small, like capturing a spider that crawled into my house and letting it go outside, or something big, like standing on stage and pouring out my heart to hundreds of people—it all takes courage.

Some days I get it right and other days I don’t. It’s not about perfection, it’s about growth. We forget and we remember. It ebbs and flows. Hopefully we always come back around to courage, even if we find ourselves in seasons overwhelmed by fear.

Today, if you find yourself afraid to do something, such as:

• being vulnerable in a conversation
• being honest about your feelings
• singing karaoke
• approaching someone you’re interested in getting to know better
• asking a question you don’t know the answer to
• apologizing for something you did wrong

…instead of overanalyzing it, immediately make the courageous decision. From my experience it’s the things I didn’t do or say that I regret the most, not the things I did do or say.

“Courage doesn’t come because you are big, strong or without fear. Courage comes because you aren’t big, you aren’t strong, do you fear, but you don’t give up. “ – Andrew B. Heard from The Ellie Project.

Thankful for YOU and for our time together today. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. And I’ll catch ya next week! Love and Blessings.

PS – Christmas is coming up and if you’re wanting a truly meaningful gift for someone you love then I’d encourage you to check out The Ellie Project. It’s a powerful illustrated children’s book for all ages filled with valuable character lessons.

In fact, this weekend I was at a wedding in Florida when a gentleman walked up to Ellie and me and told us how much he loved the book. He went on to say how he’d bought several boxes of The Ellie Project books to share with his friends, family, and clients, and how much everyone loved them. So take it from someone other than the co-author. This book is touching lives! Get your signed copy today at www.ellieproject.com. If you are wanting to purchase bulk orders of the book, please email me at [email protected], so I can share the discounted price with you (along with free shipping!), plus Ellie and I will both sign every single copy ☺

PPS – If you’re looking for a speaker for your group, big or small, I’d love the opportunity to come share my powerful and inspiring message about transforming life’s challenges into a purposeful life. E-mail me today at [email protected]. Looking forward to hearing from you!