C is for Courage, and 365 Days of Blessings Day 309

C is for C-C-C-Courage!

When I hear the word courage, it is inevitably linked with the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz movie. He attempts to scare Dorothy, the Tinman, and the Scarecrow in the forest, but he is really scared of them. He wants courage so he can be the King of the Forest. So he joins them on their quest, and finds courage in himself. The Badge of Courage he gets at the end of the movie is really a celebration that he has found his courage while adventuring with Dorothy, finding the courage to help Dorothy and his friends. To see the Cowardly Lion as he struggles with his courage, check out this link: Cowardly Lion meeting the Wizard of Oz

However, another Lion I think of when I hear the word Courage, is the Lion of Judah. Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of OT prophecies, was the Lion of Judah. His unexpected submission to the cross still amazes the world today, but yet, it took courage for him to decide in the Garden of Gethsename, "Thy will be done." He gave himself for each one of us, a Lion turned into a willing Lamb of God.

Courage:
–noun
the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.

—Idiom
2. have the courage of one's convictions, to act in accordance with one's beliefs, especially in spite of criticism.

For today's 10 Blessings, I'm picking 10 out of the many real life characters, and fictional characters who stand out to me at this moment for having courage:

1. The apostle Paul, found in the Bible.

2. The missionaries of today who live in many countries around the world. Today, I'm especially thinking of the Kraft Family in South America. Each person in their family from age 7 to age 40ish acts and lives in a missionary.

3. Stephen, in the book of Acts.

4. My dad, who has lived life fully even with a lifelong disability.

5. My mom, and she knows why.

And in fiction

6. Creel, in Dragon Slippers.

7. Bilbo, in The Hobbit.

8. Ender, in Ender's Game.

9. Lucy, in Prince Caspian.

10. Marcus, in the Farworld series.


Scripture Blessings:

"Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.'" Matthew 26:42

B is for Blessings, and 365 Days of Blessings, Day 307

My poem, "april second", is out today at Every Day Poets. Just click here: april second at Every Day Poets to check it out. I'm pretty excited about this one, even if my faith seems a little clouded with bitterness at the beginning, I think it begins to come clear near the latter half.

On a side note - I apologize for the length of yesterday's post. I understand, especially now after reading so many, that during A to Z, I might need to keep my posts a wee bit shorter. And now, on to B.

B is for Blessings! Blessings are amazing in number, variety, size, and strength. Once you get started looking for them, they are everywhere.

I challenged myself nearly a year ago to start a 365 Day Blessing Count Challenge, and it has been an interesting adventure. I can't say I've been succesful in finding brand new, completely original blessings each day, but I keep trying. And in trying, I've found blessings from the blessings.

Have you ever tried to count your blessings or develop an attitude of gratitude? How did it go?

Do you see any blessings around you right now?

These are just ten of the many blessings I've received from counting blessings:

1. The Blessing of a better attitude.

2. The Blessing of deeper faith.

3. The Blessing of sweeter relationships with my husband, my kids, and my whole family.

4. The Blessing of encouragement from friends and family.

5. The Blessing of brighter hope.

6. The Blessing of rainbow moments - finding the good in the midst of the rain.

7. The Blessing of living a "surround sound-HD" real life that has become more clear with every count.

8. The Blessing of joy.

9. The Blessing of growth.

10. The Blessing of thanksgiving that is like a gifts that keeps returning and spreading.

Blessed Scripture Blessings (there are really too many to add here):

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4