Day 17 :: Who loves you? [+ a giveaway!]

For startsies, congrats to BETTY DRAPER on winning the $31 voucher to Printable Scripture. Don’t forget, using the code ANNIEBLOGS2011, the rest of you can get 31% off your purchase at Printable Scripture until the end of the month! But don’t go anywhere… we have another giveaway today! WOOT.

. . . . .

My dad [you know, the 6 foot 3 inch character in this picture] does some funny stuff. I’m not just talking about standup routines, though he does that too. Seriously.

He also does funny stuff like reuse paper towels, pick at his beard hairs, and make his children repeat saying back to him.

For example, when we are on the phone and its time to hang up, he’ll say, “BIG KISS!” and the appropriate response is “LITTLE WAVE!”

I know. It’s weird. And I actually don’t do it. Instead, our convos go like this.

Dad : “BIG KISS”

Annie: “yeah, Love you, Daddy. Little wa….” then I trail off into oblivion and hang up.

But there is another one of Dad’s fill-in-the-blanks that I actually really like. He’ll say, “Who loves ya?” and then before you even have time to answer, he says, “Dada. Dada.”

Now mind you, none of us have called him “Dada” in approximately twenty years, but it still works.

. . . . .

Why do I like that so much?

I think it’s really nice when other people remind you that you are loved. 

It makes you brave.

Like I mentioned on Day 3, I think there are a few main things that we should all remember in our pursuit of a courageous life. And on Day 8, we talked about the first one – who you are. You have to know who you are.

But you also have to know who loves you. Because when you know who loves you, you know your safe places. You know where you can rest. You know where you can go when you fail.

[Hate to tell ya, brave or not, you are going to fail.]

Knowing who loves you also lets you know who you can trust with your brave ideas and who will hold you accountable to being brave but not being foolish [if you let them].

You  may already have a list of people who love you growing in your mind. Or maybe you’re still spinning your wheels thinking up just a few.

Maybe today is a good day to figure out who loves you. Their love will give you courage.

Maybe today is a good day to tell the ones you love that you love them. Your love will give them courage, like a deposit in the bank of the heart.

I don’t know how it works, the science and math of it all, but I know that love given is courage gained.

And. Above all, remember this: no matter who you are or where you’ve been, God’s love for you is unmatched. HE LOVES YOU. So even when every human on earth takes their turn failing you, He never will.

Knowing that, truly knowing it, will make you brave.

His love is enough.

. . . . .

Today, our friends at GloryHaus are giving away one of these beautiful boards. I think this speaks so much to being courageous. [That’s the point of all these giveaways, by the way. I just want you to be exposed to art that breeds courage.]

All you have to do to enter is answer this….

Tell me one person who loves you.

[I’m already excited about the comments… I think this list is going to be so beautiful…]

You have until I wake up Wednesday morning [around 8am Scotland time, 3am EDT, 2am CDT, midnight PDT] to enter.

So spill it… who loves ya?

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