The Courage of a Lion – from OZ


ImageIf you follow along on my Facebook postings at all, you would have seen a common thread the last few days. I came across a new book that had a treasure chapter near the end that applied to so many areas of life. It captivated me as its descriptions of courage apply to the battle of LYME.

I wanted to share another longer section of it here:

“Courage is a reflection of the heart. It is a reflection of something deep within the man or woman or even a child….Courage makes us march on despite fear and doubt on the road toward justice….Courage is not rooted in reason but rather courage comes from a diveine purpose to make things right.

It is an acute awareness of danger, the sensation of fear it produces, and the will to act in spite of it. I think it is the hightest quality of life attainable by human beings.

I think God meant us to be courageous so that we could know better how to live, how to love what, and as, He commands us to love.”

I love the part that says “the will to act in spite of it (fear)”. I never completely understood what a strong will really meant until the face of Lyme tried to take me down each day. Oh, how I felt like the timid lion in search of courage.

Where was it when I needed it – how could I feel like such a coward but need to search out courage so badly? When I look back at what I accomplished and was able to do during my sickest times, I am still shocked. It was only by sheer will and the power of God acting within me that any of it took place.

There are many people I know that have more courage in their big toe than i have, but I also know that I did not understand the face of courage until it stared me in the eye during Lyme. There is a sixth sense that is developed in the soul after a tragedy or chronic illness event that changes life and your very breath forever.

I wouldn’t want to live through the last two years again, but I am forever grateful how it reframed my life and how different my tapestry is woven now.

(Excerpts from Why Courage Matters – John McCain taken from No More Jellyfish, Chickens, or Wimps by Paul Coughlin)