Today is Part 4 of my series that is digging into a quote from Oprah: “The only courage you ever need is the courage to live the life you want.” Digging into this quote to understand what it means for my own life and exploring where courage comes from is the message that I have been striving for in this series. Today, we will look at the question: What is the life I want to live and do I have the courage to seek it out? CLICK HERE TO CATCH UP 🙂
Each morning upon waking up, you are faced with hundreds of choices that take you from dawn to dusk. Many times we are not even aware that we are making choices because of their insignificance, but then, one choice becomes bigger and more daunting. It’s at these times that we learn who we are and how to handle situations with grace, calm and ease. In these moments we make the decision to focus or not, center ourselves or not and follow the crowd or not! We ask ourselves “Who should we follow?’ and “Where do we find our focus?”
I have been reading Lysa TerKeurst’s new book, The Best Yes Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands as part of an online Bible study with Proverbs 31 Ministries. Lysa is quick to point out there are no perfect decisions and this idea flows throughout her book. When we wake up and begin a new day, we should remember that when choices come at us quickly, we will be more successful when we center ourselves in strength, grace and love. When we focus on the One who chose us as His own, our lives become a reflection of the path that God planned for us. All passions, dreams and goals are tied to our faith in God.
Lysa shares that “every leap of faith has elements of failure. In other words, since there is no perfect choice, we don’t have to be paralyzed by fear that we’re not making the exact right decision.” It is “only in the perfectly surrendered decision to press through our fears and know that God is working in us to bring about good through us” that we are able to make choices.
In the process of decision making, there is this sense that courage is needed to follow through to the end and this is the pressing through our fears that Lysa speaks about in The Best Yes. This is a courage based in our faith in God and His ability to provide the strength we need.
When asking friends, family and fellow writers whether they have the courage to seek out the life they want, the answers possessed a common theme.
Heather says, “I draw my courage from the peace of knowing He has set forth and blessed my steps within His plan. That is all I need. The life I deeply desire to live is the one He knows is best for me and those He can touch through me.”
My friend Valerie says, “It took courage for me to get here and it will continue to take courage for me to keep living it and keeping myself strong and in-line with His passions.”
My son Daniel says, “The life I truly desire is the one that I was created to live, reflecting God’s image into the world and sharing in His promises.”
Finally, Jolene wrote a blog post last week that explores passion and beautifully begins the conversation with: “Whatever the reason is for our passions, it is known by God and only He can reveal the purpose & the plan in His time, His way. Will we trust that? Will we listen?” My first thought was that this is courage- this is how we begin to deepen our trust and this is how the conversation begins when making the choice to follow God completely. Read more of Jolene’s post here and be blessed.
All of the above words lead us back to God and the courage needed to live a life in line with His passions and promises for our life. All our choices require a centering – an unwavering focus on Our Father and His desires for our life.
[Tweet “Centering ourselves on Jesus creates a flow of strength, grace and love resulting in courage.”]
May we live the life we want because we have chosen God as our Lord and Savior to lead us on the path of a deeper relationship with Him. May our courage come from God that we may shine for others as a reflection of God’s love in all we do.
Blessings,
Mary
Blessed to be linking with:
“May our courage come from God that we may shine for others as a reflection of God’s love in all we do.” And that just says it so well. For some reason God seems to be speaking to me today on my word for 2015. Maybe it’s courage. I felt something as I read this. Love how He speaks to us through others. Love you, sweet friend. I hope Allume has been all kinds of wonderful. xoxo
Love how you hear God’s voice everywhere – through His word, through other’s words and in the face to face words with friends. Can’t wait to hear what your word is for 2015. Allume was all kinds of wonderful and I’m sure more will be said about that in the future. 🙂 Hugs!
Hope you’re having a ball this weekend, Mary! Thinkin’ of you lots … can’t wait to hear about it all!
8-}
Linda-Allume was amazing! I have lots of processing to do but God was there in a big way. Thanks as always for stopping by and hanging out here for a few! Love you friend!
So true, Mary! Centering my focus on the Lord is so crucial to any path I am considering. And your words today are a comforting reminder that even with our human tendency to get something wrong, God is always there to guide us and make things right in and through His power and sometimes through His redemption … or both! I love Lysa TerKeurst and read her Unglued book about a year ago and loved it. I haven’t gotten her latest book, but it sounds like an encouraging message too. Hugs to you!
Where we go so many times depends on where we are looking or whom we are looking to for guidance. It’s too easy to get swept into a worldly view and lose sight of the truths that God brings. Lysa TerKeurst has such a gift for nailing her topics and making them relevant to all of us. Blessed you stopped by my friend! Hugs!
Hi Mary! I do think it’s often that age old question of whether we are talking to ourselves, or it’s God speaking to us. All my plans and inspirations have to go through a filter of thought to decide where they come from…but in the end it does come down to trust. If my thoughts are persistent, then maybe I should try doing them. As your author said, my decisions will not always be perfect, but how can I move along with God if I don’t move along?
I really like your son’s quote. He sounds like a wonderful, faithful young man!
Have a blessed Wednesday 🙂
Ceil
Trust is key and we can misinterpret where the voice is coming from if we do not have that component. As for my son, he is a youth pastor and has taught me so much about faith. It is a blessing that there are times that he leads me in my journey. Hope the rest of your week is wonderful.
You honor me with this God-hug and it makes me want to give you a hug in real life. Soon… I’m believing!
The courage thing… I really think maybe we all could ask God for that courage just like He says to ask for Faith. He is our ever loving supplier. I think I’ll ask for more courage!
Love this series you are exploring. ❤️
Thank you dear Heather! I love the wisdom and insight that others have shared to help me better explore this topic. The plan is to wrap it up next week. We’ll see if God thinks the series is finished. Heading to Allume tomorrow and would appreciate your prayers as I travel, learn and listen to God. Hugs and love!
Will be praying for your trip, Mary. Have fun! I do plan to have that video done to send to you or at least one chunk of it. LOL Maybe you will get a few minutes to watch it. 😉 Hey, if you get a chance to share about ALL IN there… go for it as God leads! Love ya bunches, Sister!
Honored to have you include my thoughts in your post Mary. I love that you are tackling Oprah’s faulty premise and sharing various opposing perspectives which are all focused on Christ. AMEN girl! “unwavering focus on our Father” YES!
I love that out thoughts were moving along similar paths. I hope you pursue more of your thoughts on passion. It is a wonderful topic to explore. Blessed to share your blog and to call you friend! Hugs!
The Lord is definitely impressing this theme on me at the moment. Living intentionally and authentically following His guidance. Using the gift of time wisely. I’m a little nervous, because I’m not a very structured person but I’m trusting Him to show me the way. Thanks for being an extra nudge of truth for me today. Blessings you!
The only way to live authentically is to let God be our guide and to trust Him with all aspects of our lives. I love how God is nudging you to let go and trust. He will bless your endeavors greatly. Have a wonderful end to your week!
Great post, Mary! And great encouragement to all Jesus’ love to flow through us. Thanks for linking up to Testimony Tuesday. See you soon! 🙂
Jesus is all around and when we are aware and open to this life goes smoother and His strength flows through us. Can not wait to see you dear friend!!! 🙂