Do You Have Courage?

The other day I was reading a touching post on facebook from a friend of mine.  She is also in a blended family.  Her stepson had entered the hospital and she had gone along with her husband to support him.  In the sweet picture she posted of her stepson she stated that he has his mother's love and his father's support.  Not once did she mention anything about herself.  What a great example of unconditional love she displayed.  She merely had the courage to support.  Sometimes as a stepparent you feel like a third wheel.  You are not sure where you belong and you definitely don't want to step on toes.  Being in a blended family is about providing each child with a healthy environment despite the dynamics that may be involved.  Even though you may feel like a third wheel, you must have the courage to take the higher road, not saying everything that you would want to say, and just try to find peace amongst the turmoil that surrounds you.  I believe that this sweet lady may have had all kinds of emotions and realized that she couldn't control the situation so she just needed to find peace with what she was dealt.   Since that post I have reflected on how I might be able to be courageous amongst the turmoil that surrounds me.  Several things have stood out to me:

1.  You may not have control of much, but you have control of you.  For example, you can control how you perceive things.  Some ways of doing this may be to use positive self talk and to understand God knows all things, and leave it in his hands. 

2.  Don't set yourself up for failure by having certain expectations.  Just try to be happy with the times spent together and the memories that have been created. 

3.  Be gentle on yourself and others.  We all have our story full of some easy and difficult things.  Just believe in who you are.  A quote from Jeffry H. Larson sums it up, " God loves because of who you are, not because of what you did or didn't do.

In conclusion, there are those who show courage through leading the battle from the front and there are those who show silent courage by supporting from the back.  My friend showed me the example of silent courage.