Faith Finds Courage

Every once in a while, I run across a post from someone who absolutely speaks to a question in my heart. Sometimes the question is answered, and sometimes it is expanded and deepened. My curiosity is piqued as I find the courage to ask the question and discover that I have strength to dare.

I found one such post this tired morning on the blog of an old friend. Stephanie shares a number of quotes from the first chapter of Composing a Life by Mary Catherine Bateson.

"I believe that our aesthetic sense, whether in works of art or in lives, has overfocused on the stubborn struggle toward a single goal rather than on the fluid, the protean, the improvisatory. We see achievement as purposeful and monolithic, like the sculpting of a massive tree trunk that has first to be brought from the forest and then shaped by long labor to assert the artist's vision, rather than something crafted from odds and ends, like a patchwork quilt, and lovingly used to warm different nights and bodies."

I will be ordering the book to read the five biographies Bateson includes, and I would definitely encourage you to check out the rest of Stephanie's post.

The word "encourage" means "to give courage." For me, courage does not come from sympathetic platitudes. I find courage in watching someone else living what I am living. I take courage from those who have walked in faith before me. Encouragement for me comes from seeing others take action illustrating their belief that God really is THAT BIG.

It is good to be reminded that no matter how alone I feel, I am not really alone. I am surrounded by "so great a cloud of witnesses" and Jesus is the finisher of my faith (Hebrews 12:1-2)

[DISCLAIMER: After a bit of reading, I found that Bateson's book reflects a lot of views that are not mine - she tends very much toward a humanistic perspective. I think it's hilarious how God will use anything to speak to us of Himself and His work in our lives. Read with care.]