When Courage Looks Like Saying Yes

When Courage Looks Like Saying Yes

Sometimes courage looks less like feeling brave and more like opening your hands and saying yes.

For nearly 18 years, I carried the idea for a book about the emotional side of cancer.

I thought about it. I prayed about it. I talked about it.

And I put it off.

There was always a reason.

I was too busy.

I wasn’t sure I was a good enough writer.

I questioned whether anyone would want to read what I had to say.

And if I am really honest, poor body image played a role too. It is amazing how the fear of being seen can leave you standing in the corner, convincing yourself that staying small is safer.

Then in April, I learned about a young mother who had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

My heart broke for her.

Not only because of everything I knew she would face physically, but because I knew there would be so much more.

The fear. The grief. The anger. The questions. The loneliness.

The parts of cancer no one really prepares you for.

And I remember thinking, I wish I had my book ready to send her.

That thought stopped me.

Because suddenly this wasn’t about whether I felt ready.

It wasn’t about whether I thought I was a good enough writer.

It wasn’t even about whether I was comfortable being seen.

Someone was hurting, and I knew the message God had placed on my heart all those years ago might matter.

So I opened my hands and said yes. Not a confident yes. Not a fearless yes. Just yes.

And God has walked with me every step of this journey.

He was there when the editor’s suggestions felt longer than the original manuscript.

He was there through the rewrites, the second-guessing, and the decisions I did not always feel equipped to make.

He was there when I had to keep moving forward without knowing exactly how everything would come together.

And He was there last Thursday night when I stood in front of a room at the in-person launch of Faces of Cancer.

I was terrified.

Not in the kind of way that means something is wrong.

In the kind of way that comes when you know you are stepping beyond what is comfortable and into something that matters deeply.

I had to remind myself again of what I had been learning for the last six months:

I did not need to see the whole road. I did not need to feel fearless. I just needed enough courage for the next step.

So once again, I opened my hands and said yes.

Looking back now, I know I could not have done these last six months in my own strength.

But I also do not want to tell this story as though faith means fear disappears.

It did not.

God did not remove every fear before I moved forward.

He walked with me through it.

That may be one of the biggest things I have learned in this season.

Courage is not always bold.

Sometimes it is quiet.

Sometimes it is shaky.

Sometimes it looks like sending the email, making the phone call, starting the first page, standing in the room, or taking one more step when you are still unsure of yourself.

And sometimes courage is simply saying:

God, I do not know how this is going to go, but I am willing.

Maybe there is something in your own life that you have been putting off because you do not feel ready.

Maybe fear has convinced you that you need more confidence, more clarity, or more certainty before you move.

Maybe you are waiting to feel brave.

I am learning that sometimes bravery comes after the yes.

Sometimes God gives us what we need as we go.

Not all at once.

Just enough for the step in front of us.

A Sunday Prayer for Courage

God, give us courage for the places where You are asking us to move forward. When we feel unsure, remind us that we do not need to see the whole path before we take the next step. Help us trust Your direction more than our fear. Keep us close to You as we go. Amen.

God did not remove every fear. He walked with me through it.

That may be what courage looks like after all.