Dare to Challenge Courage

This post addresses the broad subject of  

Are you up to the challenge?

Lay down your comfort zones because they are death traps.  To have a large dose of spirited courage, we need a strong challenge to face.  Perhaps we could say courage is the power and faith to let go of the familiar.  Christopher Columbus said, "God gave me the faith and afterward the courage so that I was quite willing to undertake the journey."

Bless Columbus's courageous heart, we can thank him daily for our blessing of living in the land called America and his example of hanging on to the finish.  I don't feel we need to go as far as Columus, but perhaps we do need to face each day with just a tad more courage.  Challenge is the name of the game, and it can be rather humorous at times.

I had a strong challenge to face. Let me tell you about it.  Hubby and I were vacationing in Yosemite National Park and chose to lodge in a very, very small, quaint cabin.  The three rooms consisted of what you might call a "blink of an eye" as you viewed a tiny room with the porcelain necessity (toilet), a kitchen, made for a minuscule body, and a small space containing a hideaway bed.  It is the bed I will focus on.

It had been a long, hot day, flavored with excitement, and we were ready for a good night's sleep.  We opened up the hideaway bed, which almost covered the entire room.  I choose to sleep on the outside so I could dash, if needed, to the porcelain necessity.  I retired first. Hubby came last and crawled over me to his side of the bed next to the wall.  We had just settled in when we said to each other, "The light needs to be turned off."  I arose from the bed to flip the switch when an undeniable situation of a colossal challenge became mine to conquer. 

As I got up, my side of the bed shot straight upward toward the ceiling.  Hubby's side down almost to the floor with Hubby wedged between bed and wall, his head not seen, his man legs waving madly upright in the open air and his feet reaching toward the ceiling lashing out as if frantically hitting a punching bag; like one who is in total desperation.  The scene appeared unbelievably hilarious.  I stood in shock!  Suddenly, I heard his distressed muffled voice, "Help! Help! Help me I can barely breathe!" I felt his frightening dilemma.  What to do?  Run outside and scream for assistance? Pretend I was having a nightmare? Take on the challenge of pulling the bed, now a contraption, down to its proper place?  I felt a call to action. I tried. I tried again, and again, but laughter prevented me from having the strength needed to up-right the contraption and liberate Hubby being held hostage. However, with fresh courage rushing through my body, I gave one more courageous, athletic jump to grab the upward side of the contraption and at last  --  success became mine. Poor Hubby "popped up" with hair grossly tangled, eyes wide open in stark unbelief, and mouth gaping as if a cat had his tongue rending him speechless. Just so comical!

After the mighty challenge calmed itself, we detected the contraption needed to be locked in place to prevent such a calamity. It has been years since our trip and the night of misfortune, but I still giggle when I relive the funny experience and the challenge of courage to save my ever loving Hubby.

• Expect Hope:

There is hope in all things especially when you share it with another understanding someone.

Don't go it alone.

There is a place for prayer to help heal our needs.  It does not matter if it is a broken life, a broken heart, or a broken something, even a shoe with a broken clasp.  

Prayer is needed.

Hope has the potential for immense happiness.  There is no guarantee life will be easy, but it can be magical, entertaining, adventurous, and awesome.

Seek and find.

Chieko N. Okazaki in her talk "Raised in Hope" stated, "Hope is like a fan-hat, it is ready for either sunny or stormy weather."

Be prepared.

• Anticipate Beauty:       

Let's climb on the bus destined for adventure.  We'll see beauty as we tour our life on earth.  We will explore new adventures and let go of the familiar.  

On our journey, we will learn the value of having the beauty of our soul embedded into our daily goals, even the smallest goals, giving us faith and the courage to not quit but to push and grind to the finish line.

When we place beautiful thoughts into the exhausted places of our lives, we will feel strong, brave and courageous, and we must know our courage will strengthen our fellow travelers to win their battles too.

Let's discover how to laugh while traveling. Adding humor to our courage can enhance confidence in our twists and turns of life.

Enjoy a beautiful song to sing "If the Way be Full of trail, Weary Not" - John R. Sweney No. 158 in the LDS Hymnbook published 1909

or go to

https://www.Mormon Tabernacle If the way be Full of Trial, Weary Not

Dear Readers, I dare us to gain courage with hope, beauty, power, and faith to face our mighty challenges, which often times flood our lives with darkness.

Until the next post, serve the good Lord with gladness 

and look forward to thoughts on the subject of love.