Place Courage

Titus 2:3-4

English Standard Version (ESV) BibleGateway.com

³  Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, ⁴ and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,

Lately, I've been surrounded by a group of encouraging women.  There are a few guys, but, for the most part, it's been women. They lived out these words.  Don't get your panties in a knot either over how it's to teach them to love their husbands and children.  It's not saying "don't encourage the single." Calm down. They aren't all old ladies either.  They are older, but not old. They are a certain number of people whom my heart smiles to see.  These dears have been reaching out to me.  I see them finding the good in me.  I soak it up like warm sunshine.  These are ladies who remind me constantly that I am loved, cherished by my Savior, beautiful, creative and intelligent.  This may sound like the world's most self-centered post ever, but, it's one that's been on my heart.  I can't tell you how much their words have meant to me.  I get kind of surprised by love.  

Psalm 139:14 (ESV, Biblegateway.com)
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 

 I find nothing wrong in remembering that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Not just me.  You are too.  We are all fearfully and wonderfully made.   This gets hard, as well, I don't want to remember that the people I view as evil are fearfully and wonderfully made.  I don't want to remember that God designed their every fiber.  He knew them.  I sit there and think "how can you possibly have made them?!"  Then I remember that He made me.  What stopped me?  I'm not saying I have all evil figured out.  There's a thing called "righteous anger", an anger at seeing innocence betrayed. Even so, I'm called to love my enemies.  That's hard.
  I digress.

Source: Pinterest

I don't take the gift of encouragement lightly.  I re-gift. At least, I hope I do.  I have people in my mind who will always get a hug when I see them, I remind them constantly that they are beautiful, people who you see courage bloom from at the watering of words, the sunshine of love.

Who needs, craves, and desires your love today?