Have you ever faced a challenge, but then talked yourself out of it? Maybe it seemed too daunting. Perhaps your nerves got the better of you. Or possibly somebody told you it couldn’t be done. We often face moments in life when we come up against something we have never tried before, or which we just find really difficult to carry out. It’s in those times we need courage. Not courage for the sake of perfection. But courage to simply be willing to try. A quote I read says, “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I’ll try again tomorrow.””

A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking about our Annesley community – the children, staff and families. I sat down at our family piano and allowed my thoughts to be shaped into a song. I wasn’t planning for it to be something I would share with the school. It was simply an opportunity for me to process my thoughts in a creative way. As it turns out, with a little help and encouragement from a couple of staff, I performed the song last week at Chapel. I didn’t know whether I could play and sing it in front of everyone, nor how it would be received. But as nervous and uncertain as I was, it become a real-life illustration of how I required courage to try something I hadn’t done before, and not to talk myself out of it.

All of us, and especially our children, need to be reminded of the potential within – and what we are in fact capable of now. It may not be visible. It may not be developed. It may not be apparent. But it is present. Take courage and believe you can overcome those fears which may have held you back in the past.

There’s more in you than what you see
More than you have dreamed
Let every breath you take be graced with hope each day
There’s more to you than what you know
More in all you hold
Let every step you take be placed to grow your faith
Take courage and believe

Pete Morton
Annesley Chaplain