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(in)courage

(IN)courage (EN)courage (COURAGE)



I have been thinking about these words. (IN)COURAGE was the name of a cute little paper/gift boutique around the corner from the Starbucks I frequented during college. I might have been a bit obsessed with it due to the amount of pink, glitter, and stationary that they carried but lets not get off topic :)


Encourage is defined by my buddy Marriam-Webster as:

     -To make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident.

     -To make (something) more appealing or more likely to happen.

     -To make (someone) more likely to do something: to tell or advise 
      (someone) to do something

but being the dictionary connoisseur that I am it really brought me the idea of courage which Merriam simply says: the ability to do something you know is difficult or dangerous.

I think what I am finding is we are called to be all three of these words.

"Be strong and COURAGEous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6, ESV, BibleHub

"That their hearts may be ENCOURAGEd, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ."Colossians 2:2, OpenBible

Which just leaves out the made up word of (IN)COURAGE that can be found in about 99% of womens ministries, Dayspring products, and conferences. Which I feel like wraps the two definitions into a bow- being put in(to) COURAGE. Each day we must face with COURAGE and place ourselves in it.

I say/share all of this to say what? 

Be of COURAGE, or as Casting Crowns would say " We were made to be COURAGEous, We were made to lead the way, We could be the generation, That finally breaks the chains". Know that God has your back, and has made you to face the lions, and tigers and bears (oh my). 

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