Courage (Dictionary.com): the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery; the confidence to act in accordance with one’s beliefs
Create (Merriam Webster Dictionary and Dictionary.com): To bring into existence; to make or bring into existence something new; to evolve from one’s own thought or imagination, as a work of art or an invention; to cause to happen; bring about; arrange, as by intention or design.
Many years ago, I received two Christmas gifts.
The first was a stone with the word create etched on it. My mom put this in my stocking as a little stocking stuffer. I’ve held onto this for at least 15 years.
The next item, almost as old, is a mug with the word courage on it. My nieces, Tyler and Alex, gave this to me for Christmas, with help from their mom and dad, almost as many years ago.
I keep the stone with me, and I use the mug every day. Over the last few years, I realized that yes, these are two important memories from people I love, but I also started to think more and more about the words and what they actually mean.
The courage stone has a different meaning for me now as I’m figuring out what living life true looks like. It means having the desire to do things differently from how they’ve been done in the past. It means stepping away from the expectations others have of what I should, or shouldn’t be doing. It means trusting my gut and expecting the best. It also means that I may have to step out in faith on my own, because unfortunately, not everyone will understand where I want to go.
The create mug has been through some things. It’s chipped, it’s cracked, and it’s imperfect. But I’m still using it, and I still love it even with all its imperfections. To me, it’s a perfect representation of what it means to create something that you’re being called to, with no expectations of perfection. What we create will have imperfections, but so what? Do it anyway.
- Create even if things aren’t perfect
- Create even when life is challenging
- Create peace instead of chaos
- Create a life you enjoy every day
- Create opportunities and experiences for myself and others
- Create community
- Create the things I want and need
Having the courage to create isn’t easy because for most of us, it’s new – something outside of our comfort zones. But shouldn’t we at least try?