It is a fundamental need of the human heart, this longing to see the goodness of God. We are made for God, made for a relationship with Him, fashioned for knowing Him, for delighting in Him, for reveling in His goodness. That need is written on the very fabric of our souls, and when we deny even the possibility of it, our souls become warped out of true. We become the product of that loss... how true it is that when we cease believing in that goodness we lose heart. When we allow the chaos of the world around us to shape our expectations, to color our thinking, to dictate our responses... when we react to the temporary as if it were all there is, we become weary in our very souls, and we lose heart. It takes something extra to wait calmly and expectantly in the face of difficult circumstances, it takes strength of character, it takes determination and faith, it takes courage. Courageous hearts can be still, courageous hearts can be patient, courageous hearts can be faithful to trust the promises of God. For what is courage but applied faith, applied hope, applied trust? Courage is knowing that what God promised is real, even when we cannot see it, and choosing to cling to the promise inherent in tomorrow over the present set of difficulties... it is not "pie in the sky" but a considered decision. It is a confident assurance of the possibility of future good that allows us to act on those promises. Beloved, consider this well; ANY possible future is mere potential and promise... so choose to live out the promise that gives peace, comfort and hope. In so doing, you act in a manner that brings those blessings to you while you await God's fulfillment. Those blessings ARE yours for the taking, trust God, wait on His deliverance, and while you wait on that coming day, stand courageously in THIS present day!!