COURAGE TO OVERCOME –
The piece below, was originally written in November 2015, just after release from hospital where I had been admitted in October, close to suicide. I had tried to take my life due to the heavy stigmatization I was receiving. I edited the writing today in 2024 because I still need that courage. A bad reputation does not evaporate so quickly. Even today, that reputation exists, though so unjustly thrust upon me.
And yet, I believe in the spiritual mental health support I’ve been striving to bring back–care for those who most need Jesus. I believe in Jesus, whose unconditional love can heal us from our emotional pain. Yours and mine.
Please join with me and trust that God is God. He alone has the strength to overcome injustice. And He is ours forever.
FINDING THE COURAGE
Have I not commanded you? “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
Villages in the Greek islands are built on hills, meaning that many streets are steep. Stairways are unavoidable if you are to get around. This makes life for elderly men and women difficult. They need to be courageous simply to go from one place to another. Imagine trying to climb stairways one after another with the pain of arthritic knees!
Women like the one in this picture would do well to listen to God’s commandment to Joshua: “Be strong and courageous.”
Wouldn’t we all do well to listen to this? In Joshua 1:5b, God said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” How good that is to know! How good it is to hear such encouragement!
Joshua needed boldness to cross the Jordan to the land God had promised the Israelites. He needed to trust God. Trusting God was what helped him make it across.
Though we’re not undertaking as great a feat as Joshua did, this woman in Greece as well as people like you and me need courage as well. Though we don’t always know the outcome, we can trust that God will be in it. Though the climb might be long, we need to trust that we can make it to where we need to go. Overcoming the many challenges that come our way takes courage. The small ones and the bigger ones. They could be financial challenges, health challenges, emotional challenges.
What stairway are you climbing? What paths are you following?
You know that for me, it’s the resuscitation of Living Room. It’s bringing back the knowledge that God is God and that He always will be, especially to people who suffer. It’s to know His great love for us—a greater love than any other. It’s the peace that comes with that knowledge.
You know, don’t you? You know that such love for you surpasses any other you’ll find in the world. And you can rest in that.
With courage we embark on the journeys God sends us on. God says, “Believe that I will be with you. You don’t need to be afraid.” When we trust God, His presence will be within us and surrounding us. We will be at peace, assured that we will have the strength to carry on.
Big challenges can be difficult to overcome. It takes a hanging on, a keeping on, one step at a time. Much like crossing the Jordan was for Joshua, our challenges may seem insurmountable. But when we trust God—He who told us that He would be with us wherever we go—we can overcome, we can achieve. We will be able to arrive at the place God intends for us.
Do I hear an “amen”?
marja
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