Dear Courageous Ones,
Let me tell you a story about a woman named Thecla. Her story is centuries old, but it feels like it could have happened yesterday. Because at its heart, her story is the same as so many of ours: she was handed a script for her life — a script written by her family, her fiancé, and her culture — and she had to decide if she would live by their rules or rewrite the story for herself.
Thecla’s fiancé expected her to marry him, to settle down into a life that would look good to society. Her mother wanted her to obey tradition and stay in line. The people around her told her what her worth was, what her role was, and what her future had to look like. Sound familiar?
How many women today are still handed scripts that say things like:
- You need to marry by this age.
- Your worth is in your body, not your voice.
- Your job is to keep the peace, even if it breaks you.
- You can’t follow your dream because it’s not practical.
Thecla heard something different. She overheard the disciple Paul preaching about freedom and truth, and it stirred something in her spirit. For three days she sat at her window listening, captivated. She knew she couldn’t go back to the script her family and fiancé had written for her.
And that decision came with a cost. Her fiancé stirred up a riot. Her own mother turned against her. She was sentenced to death — not once, but multiple times. Each time, God intervened. The fire meant to kill her was put out by rain. A lioness in the arena defended her against the beasts. Lightning struck the waters where she baptized herself, silencing her accusers. Over and over, her courage opened the door for miracles.
Now, you may not be standing in front of lions or flames, but I know many of you feel like you’re in your own arena. Maybe your “lion” is the abusive partner who tells you you’ll never make it on your own. Maybe your “flames” are the expectations of family or church that tell you your voice doesn’t matter. Maybe your “arena” is a workplace where you’re overlooked, underestimated, or dismissed because you’re a woman.
Courage doesn’t always look like standing at a stake or fighting off beasts. Sometimes courage looks like:
- Saying no when everyone expects you to say yes.
- Walking away from a relationship that drains the life out of you.
- Going back to school when people roll their eyes.
- Speaking up in a meeting when your voice shakes.
- Setting boundaries with a parent who still treats you like a child.
That’s courage. And like Thecla, it will cost you something. People may not understand. You might feel alone. You might be judged. But here’s what Thecla shows us: when you refuse to live by the script others have written, you make space for God to show up in ways you never imagined.
Thecla rewrote her life story. She refused to be owned, silenced, or defined by others. She became a preacher, a leader, and a symbol of courage for generations to come. And courageous one, you can do the same.
Maybe today you’re holding a script that was handed to you years ago. One that says, “Stay small. Be quiet. Don’t rock the boat. Don’t dream too big.” Let me remind you: you can throw that script in the fire. You have permission to take the pen back and write a new chapter — one marked by truth, freedom, and hope.
Your courage might not only change your life. Like Thecla, it might become the spark that gives another woman the strength to walk away, to speak up, to rise.
“Courage means you no longer live by the script someone else wrote for your life. You get to pick up the pen, cross out the lies, and write a new chapter filled with truth, freedom, and hope.” — Coach Tracy
With a big, big love,
Coach Tracy