Love the Lord, all his faithful one. 

The Lord protects the loyal,

but fully repays the arrogant. 

Be strong, and let your heart be courageous,

all you who put your hope in the Lord.

-Psalm 31: 23-24, CSB

I do know a friend

whose name is actually Courage.

I thought she was kidding at first,

anyone would merely dream of

displaying such formidable surname.

It was 2013 when I met her and became friends

as we served together in a restaurant at a church.

What really drew me to her was

the exuberant joy she exhibited

as she would meticulously clean

one of the most dreaded stations by herself.

She’s really no hoax!

I accidentally caught her one night

after our server shift

singing praise & worship songs,

as she mopped the floor after everyone else

had clocked out and gone home.

She didn’t care the others whined

when they were assigned to do this job.

She didn’t do it for them anyway.

A well-deserved promotion followed suit

because she’s a leader

even when she doesn’t believe it.

Her humility to follow the Lord

with a pure heart inspires others

to follow as she follows Christ.

Like I said, a true leader.

She allows integrity guide her steps

and beware!

she’s a strong and a very loyal lioness,

especially when with her loved ones you mess!

It is no joke, her name really is Courage

and I’m proud to call her a dear friend.

But for those who wish to earn such name,

you must know it is a high calling to attain.

You may have skeptics around you

discouraging you from what you know

what you were meant to do for life.

Worst of all,

those skeptics could be disguised as family

and friends secretly hoping you fall.

They don’t see the potential in you

and doubt your invincible success.

Not many will know your testimony,

but the very few will see

how it directly points to your merciful Creator.

You may have been born a Courage,

but you didn’t have anyone

to exemplify such honor then.

You may have parents

who deserted their calling to care, nurture,

and lead you towards a righteous path.

You may look timid on the outside

and your wholesome appearance  could fool

anyone to think you were brought up in

a goody-goody Christian home.

Truth be told,

you’ve really left a painful past behind,

which you learned to wholly surrender in

order to welcome a new life in Christ.

Hope you know you are

the epitome of 2 Corinthians 5:17,

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,

he is a new creation;

the old has passed away,

and see, the new has come!“

Because your old self was never meant to be

your identity,

you were created to be courageous

like your name.

So feel free to laugh profusely

with that silly giggle of yours,

Ms. Courage,

your innocence has been restored!

The memories will sometimes surprise

and haunt you, but you are now a survivor.

It takes bona fide courage to move forward

like you do every single day,

as you breathe out the same grace to others

simply because He’s gifted it to you first.

You know how to pay it forward, my friend,

only because you know

you are saved by His grace alone.

In case anyone ever wonders if my friend truly lives up to her name…

On April 12th, 2017, she did the unthinkable:

she became a single mother to her brother.

Unlike her,

he didn’t share the name Courage,

instead they only shared

their biological mother.

She abhorred

the notion of losing touch with him

as he waited to be adopted into a new family.

She felt the destiny of her thirteen year old

brother was in her hands,

so she fought years to adopt him

without a care of what others thought of her.

He’s now a Courage, new beginnings await.

Shelby, he will become your greatest legacy.

Be strong and courageous, always & forever,

for the Lord our God, our good Father,

will never EVER abandon you.

Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

-Joshua 1:9, CSB

Isn’t that the perfect picture of God’s redemptive love for us all?

We are orphans in this world awaiting

to belong

and to be told we were born to be strong. 

We are orphans awaiting

to become someone’s inheritance,

for a Father to call us by name

and provide us a home. 

We are orphans awaiting

to feel worthy of a parent’s gentle embrace,

a love that doesn’t need to be earned. 

We are orphans hoping

our world isn’t our only hope

and that there is a more permanent home

than this sometimes miserable and unjust world.

But let me share a secret with you,

Your name need not be Courage

for you to exude such virtue.

You can be adopted into this loving family,

All you have to do is proclaim Him Savior.

In case you were also wondering,

Courage isn’t just my closest and fiercest friend,

she’s the sister I never had and always wanted.