Last night on my iphone I accidentally deleted a file called "Courageous Living" a list of eight ways to live courageously. I went to sleep thinking "How do I retrieve it?"

I'm a Boomer - an old dog who sometimes struggles to learn new tricks. I don't use Evernote, I just use Notepad. I've got 96 notes with titles like "Courageous Living" in Notepad. But Notepad is a creaky old app that makes it very easy to delete your files. 

Notepad is stored in the cloud. My only hope was to go to another device that hadn't synced yet - my computer or my ipad.

This morning I woke up and turned off my wifi on my computer before checking my notes. But, too late - it had synced and the file was already erased.

I had one more shot - my ipad. Thankfully, its battery had run down and it hadn't synced yet. I recharged it 4% then took it outside far from the house wifi connection and opened notepad. Lo and behold, there it was, the old version!

The whole misadventure cost me a half an hour of my morning. In an epoch of fear, I had lost my courage for the night and got it back in the morning.

Our enemy would prefer that you live in fear. Fear is the cheapest room in the hotel. God would like to see you living in better conditions. To combat fear, we need to embrace a strategy of courageous living.

Here is the list I retrieved (inspired by David Whyte). I submit it to you. How have you or will you live courageously in this season of fear? 

Courageous living 

1. See reality - this takes courage when we don't like the facts.
2. Take responsibility - it's easier to be passive.
3. Stop hiding - lockdowns keep us isolated.
4. Have the conversation you dread - you know which one.
5. Touch the thing you fear - touching it will diminish its power.
6. Touch those who hurt - many people are in worse shape than you.
7. Practice wholehearted living - you are at your best that way.
8. Live out of purpose - Covid has sapped our purpose, let's find it again.

Let me encourage you to choose one of these strategies and share how you will implement it as we emerge from our homes into a new world.