What Did I Learn Today?
My very first blog post talked about Dan, my husband, and how he came out of retirement from competitive power lifting because God told him to last March. One of the many reasons I initially wanted to lose weight was to not be the power lifter’s chubby wife, watching him at his first meet. If you know my husband, you’ll know one thing: he is a man of his word. If he says he is going to do something, it’s done. Honestly, I’ve never known anyone with more determination and dedication. There’s a lot to learn from that. I don’t want to be the strongest anything. I just want firm thighs. If it’s true that success leaves clues, what can I learn from him? I have learned that it takes great courage to go for what you want in life.
The internet is a powerful mechanism that connects people from all over the globe and all walks of life. This blog has allowed others to cross my path, which have inspired me, and left me in awe. Recently one of the blog followers had a post on their page about how they received an eight year sobriety chip from their recovery with alcoholism. I stopped and looked at that post for quite some time this past week. I now view my struggles with food as an addiction issue and this post stopped me in my tracks. Eight years is a long time! What can I learn from that? It takes great courage to continue to take it one day at a time, and to never give up.
This past week I had the pleasure of speaking with my dear cousin, Linda, from Ohio. Linda is an incredible woman. Thirty four years ago her husband, and high school sweet heart, was tragically killed. She was left to go on alone to raise her three little children. Linda is a strong woman of faith and went on to build an incredible life. She started her own nonprofit organization helping the children of the Village of Namabasa, in Uganda Africa. Her organization has grown to now sponsor over 80 children. She runs it all on her own. Linda’s organization helped this village build a school for the children and they named it after her, Linda Good Samaritan Primary School. She is now working to help them get a fresh water well. She is literally saving lives on the other side of the world! What can I learn from Linda? No matter what tragedy you endure through life, it is possible to rise above and fly, if you have the courage to jump. Courage gives you the opportunity to impact other people’s lives in ways you never imagined.
The past few months I’ve been trying to summon the courage to officially announce on this blog that I’m writing a book. Each week I think this will be the week I announce it, but that inner negative voice will squeeze out the courage, planting a seed of doubt in my mind with the “what if” game. That would cause me to wait another week. Not this week! This week I learned that life is about courage in all you do. So, I summoned my courage and I am sharing the exciting news that I’m publishing a book. It’s a life transformation book based on the premise of this past year’s journey. The launch date is September 1, 2018, and the book will be available on Amazon. I will certainly be sharing more about that in the upcoming weeks! I can share that God told me that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go towards Linda’s non-profit organization to help the village get their fresh water well. I know I can make this happen. I feel humbled, I feel excited, and I feel blessed that this is all happening!
E.E. Cummings said, “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” Faith is having the courage to let God have control. William Shedd said, “A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” We all could play it safe in our harbors, ignoring God’s calling on our lives, but He wants us to be brave! God wants us to look fear in the face and say, “Move aside, you are in the way!” God doesn’t just command courage with no reason behind it. Every time God says in the Bible, “fear not,” a reason always follows to have courage and that reason is God Himself.
Joshua 1:9 says, “This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Ephesians 2:10 says, “God created you for a purpose.” What if your purpose is to go for that thing, become the best you that you can be, and in doing so inspire someone else to live their best life? What if all you need to do is to have the courage to take that first step? Be brave, be bold and have courage. Your purpose is calling!
For more information on Linda McKanna's nonprofit organization visit www.achildlives.com.
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