“Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’”
Matthew 14:27

Dear Friends,

It’s a snowy day in Bologna and I am thinking of each of you. I have been pondering the word “courage” today; perhaps because I so desperately need it, perhaps because you need it too. Did you ever consider that the New Testament is, for the most part, a collection of letters written (under inspiration of the Holy Spirit) by believers to believers for their “encouragement” and instruction? This is my letter to you to give you “courage” today.
So, where do you find courage? Surely not on the shelves of Walmart! The root of the word is from the Latin for “heart”. This is an internal quality developed in the very center of your being, primarily by your thoughts. That’s why what we think is so significant. And what we think is often the result of what we “hear”, which brings us to the verse above.
Jesus “spoke” to his disciples to give them courage. His words corrected their false thinking. They “thought” he was a ghost, which was the cause of their fear. When their thinking was realigned with truth they found courage (enough for Peter to get out of the boat and walk on water).
So, dear friends, I have to ask myself, “What am I thinking today”? And beyond that, “Whose voice am I listening to?” I have a feeling this is where courage begins. Let me “encourage” each of you to choose carefully who you listen to today and then realign your thoughts accordingly.

As we say in Italian, “Coraggio!!”

Linda