The Courage to Keep Showing Up

by Rev. Sheri
Spiritual teacher, writer, and founder of Angel Messenger

There is something I would like to share with you.

Recently, I spent a significant amount of money purchasing supplies for one of our compassion projects. I believe deeply in this work and wanted to help it grow.

A short time later, my phone beeped.

When I checked it, I found a message from a nonprofit organization in Gaza requesting many of the same supplies I had just purchased for our project.

I sat there looking at the message, and suddenly what I had just done felt very small.

Not because it was small.

But because the need was so very large.

I found myself tearful, wishing I could do more than I was able to do. Wishing I could reach farther. Wishing I could help everyone who needed help.

So I did what I could.

I offered a prayer.

I held those people in my heart.

I asked for comfort, protection, and support to reach them in ways that my own hands could not.

And while some may see prayer as a small thing, I do not.

There was a time in my life when illness kept me in bed for more than a decade. During those years, there were many things I could not do. Many places I could not go. Many ways I could not help.

Yet I prayed.

I prayed for people I knew and people I would never meet.

I prayed for families, communities, and situations unfolding across the world.

Over the years, I have witnessed the comfort, strength, connection, and hope that prayer can bring.

That is why there is a prayer wall here at Angel Messenger.

Prayer may not always change a situation in the way we hope, but I have never believed it is insignificant.

When offered with sincerity, compassion, and love, prayer is one of the ways we can continue showing up for one another, even when our hands cannot reach as far as our hearts would like.

Then I opened my email.

Waiting for me was a message sent through the Angel Messenger website.

The writer wanted me to know that I was a “witch,” a “b*tch,” and several other things that were not nearly as creative as they probably imagined.

It was, shall we say, not a love letter.

For a few moments, I sat with all of it.

The suffering I could not fix.

The criticism I did not deserve.

The feeling that no matter how hard I tried, it would never be enough.

Perhaps you know that feeling too.

Perhaps you have looked at the needs of the world and wondered if your small contribution really matters.

Perhaps you have tried to help someone only to be misunderstood.

Perhaps you have offered kindness and received criticism in return.

If so, I want you to know that I understand.

Not perfectly.

But personally.

The truth is, this was not the first unkind message I have received, and it likely will not be the last.

Many of us will face seasons when we are criticized, misunderstood, or challenged in ways we did not expect or deserve.

I do not say this because I believe we should simply accept hurtful behavior. Nor do I believe that difficult experiences are somehow good because they are difficult.

But I have learned that every time we move through these moments without allowing them to harden our hearts, something within us grows stronger.

Not harder.

Stronger.

Like a muscle that develops through use, our resilience grows each time we choose to meet life’s challenges with wisdom, compassion, and grace.

That strength is not built overnight. It is built one experience at a time.

A lion is often seen as a symbol of courage. Yet lions do not spend every moment roaring. Much of their strength is found in simply enduring, watching, resting, and rising when it is time to move forward. Their power does not disappear during the quiet moments.

Neither does yours.

If you have been carrying more than others realize, if you have been doing your best in a world that sometimes feels heavy or unkind, perhaps this is your reminder: strength is not measured by how loudly you roar.

Sometimes it is measured by your willingness to keep showing up with compassion.

The strength that allows us to keep showing up does not come from being able to solve every problem.

It comes from choosing compassion anyway.

It comes from continuing to care even when the world feels heavy.

It comes from refusing to let bitterness replace kindness.

The hateful email was easy enough to delete.

A few deep breaths helped.

Standing in the soft rain helped even more.

A few months ago, someone who had previously sent me a hateful email wrote back and apologized.

According to their messages, something had shifted. They saw things differently. In their own words, they finally saw me.

That experience reminded me that people often see us through the lens of their own experiences. Sometimes they are responding to old hurts, fears, disappointments, or beliefs that have little to do with us.

It does not excuse unkindness.

It does remind me that our understanding of one another is often incomplete.

And sometimes, when life softens a heart or broadens a perspective, people begin to see things differently.

A lion does not spend its energy trying to convince every creature in the savanna who it is.

It simply remains what it is.

Perhaps there is wisdom in that for us as well.

We do not need to prove our worth to every critic.

We do not need to defend ourselves against every misunderstanding.

We do not need to convince every person of our good intentions.

Sometimes the courageous thing is to continue showing up as yourself—with compassion, integrity, and an open heart—and trust that those who are meant to truly see you will do so in time.

Some people may never truly understand us, and that is alright.

Not everyone is meant to walk beside us.

But the people who walk beside us in compassion?

The people who choose kindness, hope, grace, and understanding?

Those are our people.

Those are the souls helping to build a better world.

You and I are here together for a reason.

Not because we can solve every problem.

Not because we can heal every wound.

But because every act of compassion matters.

Every prayer matters.

Every kind word matters.

Every helping hand matters.

Every moment we choose love over fear matters.

The world does not change all at once.

It changes because ordinary people continue to bring light into dark places.

And that, perhaps, is the real courage—to keep showing up.

So if you have been questioning whether your efforts are enough, let this be your reminder:

Your kindness matters.

Your compassion matters.

Your presence matters.

And the strength that has carried you this far is still within you.

May you trust that strength.

May you continue to rise toward the light.

And may you never underestimate the difference your compassion makes.

With steady light and compassion,
Rev. Sheri
AngelMessenger.net

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✨ A Gentle Resource for Further Reflection

If this message resonates with you, you may wish to explore When You Give Too Much.

This resource was created for caring, compassionate people who sometimes find themselves carrying more than they were ever meant to carry alone. It offers gentle guidance for recognizing emotional overwhelm, honoring healthy boundaries, and continuing to live from a place of compassion without losing yourself in the process.

You can learn more here:

https://www.angelmessenger.net/angel-messenger-online-store/When-You-Give-Too-Much-p831756390

Take what resonates and leave the rest with peace.