THOUGHTS OF A MILITARY WIFE WITH FIVE CHILDREN – HEATHER TRAVITZ

“When you live life with honesty and courage nothing is out of reach.”

MILITARY WIFE/WRITER HEATHER TRAVITZ

Heather Travitz

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What is COURAGE?

Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.  ~Raymond Lindquist

My personal definition of courage would be the ability to do or be your BEST as you face fear and uncertainty in all areas of life. Courage can be loud or soft, and I’ve found the latter can be more difficult for me personally. When presented with the need oftimes of quiet courage, I quite often think of the old saying, “Keep Calm and Carry on”. Other times, wejust ‘live out loud” and make our voices heard! When we are not courageous, we give others our personalpower and they will have a hand in the play by play of OUR lives! Living courageously, whether loud or quiet, can be daunting, but is necessary to successfully live our dreams and fulfill our destiny and potential for greatness!

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.  ~Ambrose Redmoon

Courage is a soldier leaving his family to fight in a war far from home!

Courage is saying NO!

Courage is standing up against an abuser!

Courage is forgiving the unforgivable to free yourself!

Courage is speaking up when you feel strongly!

Courage is asking for what you need!

Courage is pursuing your dreams even if no one else sees them yet!

Courage is sharing your beliefs when you may be ridiculed for what you believe!

Courage is also keeping quiet when you know your words will fall on deaf ears!

Courage is standing up for what is right, even if you stand alone!

There are two real life types of courage in life, physical and moral.  Both are important. Being brave and bold in both of these areas as you live is clear courage.

Physical courage is demonstrated when you face your fear, pain or hardship!

Moral courage is how you act according to your morals and beliefs in the face opposition or disbelief.

Being courageous in no way means you are fearless, it means that in spite of your fear, you will stand up and fight for what you feel and know is right. Even when that means others may turn against you. When this happens, it typically will turn out better than you may think possible.

As hard as it may be to believe at the time, these acts of courage will enrich your life! They will help you remove the toxins in your life that are secretly bringing you down or dragging you away from your beliefs! And, in turn, when we surround ourselves with like-minded and successfully determined people, we will raise our own bar for courage and success!

1 Corinthians 16:13 NET “Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong”

 We must face events with courage to truly live! Being bold and standing firm with our personal and spiritual beliefs is a must! As you begin to live life in a courageous way, there are always going to be trials and hardships to be faced. But you can be assured that these are worth the effort at the end of each day!

As we live boldly and face hurdles and hardships with courage, it is imperative that we use our faith in times of physical or emotional need!

FAITH DEMANDS COURAGE!

Personally, I have been praying about a situation in my life, and as I am writing this, and doing some reflection, I see that I am not facing the situation with courage due to ongoing feelings of powerlessness (that attack us all, if we are honest). So I am looking now for ways of creating MORE power, for myself and my husband. Ways, Where we can be included in decisions that are being made and our voices will be heard. {If I find my courage, I know that no matter the outcome, I will have faced the situation head on and my voice will be heard!}So, even before finishing this article, I was compelled to make contact with those in this situation, to speak up, using respect and facts to make our stance clear! ….. I can’t describe the feeling of empowerment of that one action!

So, as you can see, it is important that we use courage as a stepping stone in life! In doing this, it will bring strength and success in the areas of life that we wish to achieve it! We will still have trials and hurdles to face, but when we are willing to push ourselves past those things; we will finally live in honor and for ourselves and our God! When we use courage to direct us in life, not fear of failure or pain, we will soar to heights we’ve never known possible!

Courage builds character and confidence! Unlocking your courage will open doors you didn’t know were closed! When you live life with honesty and courage nothing is out of reach. Our paths are already carved; success is ours to be had! Have the COURAGE to live the dream God has placed in your heart! Don’t allow fears or past failures to bury it!

Remember, When you live life with honesty and courage nothing is out of reach!

POSTED BY PERMISSION OF HEATHER TRAVITZ AND ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY GUTSISTHEKEY 

The soft cool white blanket covering all nature and asphalt strikes a wonderful contrast to this today when all the world celebrates Love….as thoughts of sugar plums, roses and truffles abound on Valentine’s Day. By the way, has anyone ever wondered what a sugar plum is? The wonderful thing about sugar plums is that you can design and assign them any flavor and color, as long is it has 1 million grains of sugar! That’s a lot of sweet…which is precisely the point.

Against nature’s backdrop of white snow, the red hearts and flowers associated with this day brings warm thoughts of joy and peace and true happiness…not just because of whomever you may call “Sugarplum” or your “sweet” (is in your significant other or spouse), but just like around Christmas time, Valentine’s Day softens the heart towards the people in your immediate peripheral view. We all seem to have more Grace towards humanity.

There are those who always feel left out at Christmas time, with no one to love and our hearts reach out to them in Grace. We share God’s goodness with them too at this time, as so many are in pain due to both internal and external circumstances. We can walk in their shoes for a minute while sharing the good news that God is for them at all times….even when they think He is far from them. In fact when the brokenhearted think He is far away, that is when He is closest. If they would only open their hearts to Him.

It was prophesied once in Isaiah 61:1-2 and then confirmed by Him Whom it was said about when Jesus said His Mission on earth was, in part, to “comfort the brokenhearted (Luke 4:18)“.  We all know many who fall in that category. I see them several times per month when ministering in senior homes. I see the loneliness, fear and utter desperation. Multiply that in the workplace, church and community and you have what we see today, in a world totally devoid of Christ.

Towards that end, I like what the Founder of Dayspring Cards, Roy Lessin, once said:
There is a grace that is sufficient
a mercy that endures
an atoning blood that cleanses
a hope that doesn’t disappoint
a love that never fails
a purpose that works all things together for the good
a peace that passes understanding
a joy unspeakable
a kingdom unshakeable
a foundation indestructible
a High Priest Who prays
a Savior Who lives
a Spirit Who comforts
A FATHER WHO CARES!