Courage.

This month in Orange Ministry, our virtue is Courage. (Let me pause here for a second and just tell you that the the virtue of courage being placed in this exact time is no mistake and one of the biggest smack-in-the-face Godstops I've ever experienced... but that's a story for another day). Now, I know you are just dying to know what courage is, right? COURAGE is doing what you know you should do, even when you're afraid. This Sunday, we made courage card rings with a couple of verses to help us when we need to have courage. In order to finish out my own personal ring, I went in search of some other verses pertaining to courage, and I found tons. Here are a few of my favorites:

John 16:33 "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world."

Joshua 1:5-9 "All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don't get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you're going. And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed. Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take."

Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you."

Mark 6:50-52 Jesus was quick to comfort them: "Courage! It's me. Don't be afraid." As soon as he climbed into the boat, the wind died down. They were stunned, shaking their heads, wondering what was going on. They didn't understand what he had done at the supper. None of this had yet penetrated their hearts.

And Finally, our verse of the month! It's only 56:3, but I finished it out.

Psalm 56:3-4 Take my side, God—I'm getting kicked around, stomped on every day. Not a day goes by but somebody beats me up; They make it their duty to beat me up. When I get really afraid I come to you in trust. I'm proud to praise God; fearless now, I trust in God. What can mere mortals do?

What are you facing today? It could be nearly anything. I know life gets hard sometimes, and I know there are days when nothing seems to go right. But please, please hear me out. Everything WILL be okay. God's there, and he loves you more than you'll ever know. Rest in His truth, and let Him fill you with courage. He'll help you through, I promise.

Love,

Sarah♥

P. S. I'm not even going to lie, these past few weeks have been some of the most difficult/busy weeks I've had in a very, very long time. As I said earlier, I plan to catch this up later, when I have some more time. So, if posts are scarce, now you know why. All 2 of you who occasionally catch up on this thing(: Haha. Thanks, and love you!