🦁 Clothed in COURAGE: living boldly in God's promises

a letter to God, ordinary grace in ordinary time, and a powerful speech inspire courage in the everyday

Fear sometimes disguises itself in my life: as procrastination, overthinking, perfectionism, or even busyness. Sometimes I hesitate to act, not because I don’t know what to do, but because I’m scared of doing it wrong, looking foolish, or being misunderstood.

But here’s something God is gently teaching me: Courage doesn’t mean we aren’t afraid. It means we trust God enough to take the next step anyway.

This week, I’m sharing ideas for writing a letter to God, ordinary grace in ordinary time, and a powerful scene to inspire courage in the everyday as we reflect on the virtue of courage—not the loud, dramatic kind, but the quiet, steady kind that shows up in everyday acts of faith. What is God asking you to be brave about right now? Let’s face it together.

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✉️ Write a Letter to God About Your Fear

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

What’s something you’re afraid of right now? It might be something big: losing someone you love, failing at something important, or stepping into a new season that feels uncertain.

Or it might be something small but persistent: worry about being misunderstood, fear of disappointing others, or a quiet ache that keeps showing up in your thoughts.

Today, take some time to write a letter, not to your fear, but to God about your fear.

📝 How to begin

• Be honest. Name the fear clearly.

• Describe how it shows up in your life and how it makes you feel.

• Tell God what you wish you could do if fear didn’t get in the way.

• Ask God for his strength, his presence, his help.

Then, try writing God’s response to you. Imagine what God might say to you in his love, through Scripture, through the quiet of prayer, or through the voice of a Father who knows you better than you know yourself.

🕯 Optional (but powerful):

If you feel led, you can burn or tear up the letter as a symbolic act of surrender. Let it be your way of handing the fear over to God, fully, freely, and finally.

🙏 Let’s Pray

Lord, here is the fear I’ve been carrying. I don’t want it anymore. I trust you to hold it for me. Please fill the empty space with courage—your courage—and help me take one small step forward, knowing you go with me. Amen.

📖 Liturgical Spotlight – Ordinary Time as Courage in the Everyday

Next week we’ll mark our return to Ordinary Time—the longest season of the liturgical year, and perhaps the most underrated. After the high feasts of Easter and Pentecost, we’ll settle into the quiet green season that doesn’t get much fanfare.

But don’t let the name fool you. Ordinary Time is anything but unimportant.

This season invites us to grow—not through dramatic moments or big conversions, but through everyday courage:

• The courage to be patient with your family when your fuse is short.

• The courage to pray, even when you feel spiritually dry.

• The courage to stay hopeful when life feels repetitive, invisible, or unseen.

Ordinary Time is the season of showing up, again and again, even when it’s hard, boring, or uncomfortable.

Reflect

Where in your ordinary life might God be asking for small, steady acts of bravery?
Here are a few places to look:

• Saying yes to something new at church, even if it feels awkward.

• Going to confession after putting it off.

• Refusing to join in gossip, even if it costs you social points.

• Taking a break from social media, even if it feels lonely at first.

Scripture Tie-In

“Whoever is faithful in little things is also faithful in great ones.” — Luke 16:10

🙏 Let’s Pray

Lord, help me to find you in the small, steady moments. Teach me to be courageous in the hidden places of my life. Let my everyday “yes” to you be an act of love that bears fruit in due time. Amen.

🎥 Samwise the Brave in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

I’m sure this movie scene is already a favorite of yours, but Sam’s speech near the end of The Two Towers is one of the most courageous and faith-filled moments in film.

As Frodo begins to despair, Sam reminds him, and us, that the darkness doesn't win. That even when everything seems hopeless, “there’s some good in this world…and it’s worth fighting for.”

The moment isn’t flashy or violent. It’s quiet courage. Faithfulness. Friendship. And the refusal to give up when all seems lost.

Reflect

• When have you felt discouraged in your journey?

• Who has been a “Sam” in your life—reminding you of hope when you forgot it?

• Where is God asking you to keep going, even when you’re tired?

• Where do you need to be brave right now—not in a big way, but in a quiet, faithful way?

• Who around you needs your encouragement to keep going?

🙏 Let’s Pray

Lord, thank you for the people who hold us up when we want to quit. Give me the courage to keep walking toward you, one step at a time. Let me be a voice of hope for others, too. Amen.