doughty Archives - Sherry Stahl

I Am Doughty, Not Dowdy!

God did not give us a Spirit of fear
but of power and love and 
self-control.
~2 Timothy 1:7 NET Bible

Years ago, someone accused me of essentially being a sesquipedalian.

It was meant as a negative, but I couldn’t help feeling it was a compliment in a way. In reality, I’m not a sesquipedalian but a logophile.

Ha! Have I confused you yet? If not, you’re probably a writer or serious book lover.

Sesquipedalian is a word that has changed in meaning to not just mean someone who uses big words, but it’s now used as a negative term to describe someone who uses too many long, confusing words.

Logophile is a term to describe people who love words… and that I’m completely guilty of. Growing up my mother made it her mission to ensure drag racing was not the only cultural influence in our family. Spelling tests were a high priority and she often corrected our grammar. Mom was preparing me for my future career and didn’t even know it!

{Geek Alert}

As a teen I had my own subscription to Reader’s Digest because I loved the Word Power Column.

As a writer I’ve been shocked at my usage of words. I had no clue until I joined Grammarly. It gives you a weekly writing report and I’m most often in the 95-99% of Grammarly users… or so they say 🙂

Ok, now that you get my obsession with words, I can tell you what happened to me last month and I think you’ll understand why it so profoundly affected my life.

My Word Obsession Affects My Life!

I’m in the middle of Dr. Caroline Leaf’s Brain Detox program and it’s completely changing my life {Links Below}. Basically, she helps you become aware of your negative self-talk, see the results of how that thought affects what you feel, say and do. Next, she guides you to replace that toxic thought with a healthy thought and experience the results in your life.

Oh The Difference A Word Can Make

During the Detox, I recognized what a grip fear had on my life in a certain area and how it was blocking me from moving forward in my life. I felt the urge to Google search “Antonym of Fear”. As I looked at the lists of words contrary to fear, one stood out; as if it jumped off of my computer screen.

The word was doughty.

First of all, I didn’t even know how to say it properly. “Dought” is pronounced “ot” like sought, bought or fought, so it sounds like the name of my Texan friend Dottie. I had mistaken it with the word dowdy; which describes a messy, old-fashioned, frumpy, out-of-style.¹ Since one Google search usually ends up with at least ten more, I began researching this new word and was blown away with what I felt the Father speaking to my soul.

I Am Doughty, Not Dowdy!

DOUGHTY… marked by fearless resolution…valiant… Brave… willing to take risks… brave… bold… heroic… Determined and ambitious… persistent… undaunted… unwilling ever to stop trying to achieve something… strong-willed… adamant… resolute… willful… will not take no for an answer… lionhearted, stalwart, stout-hearted… courageous… not easily frightened… an iron fist in a velvet glove…² To use it in a sentence you could say, She was a doughty defender of the hurting.

All these definitions helped encourage me but the AHA moment came when I read about the origins of the word. The root of Doughty is in the Old English word, dohte, meaning “had worth”.² When I read this, light bulbs illuminated over my head and bells were ringing as I wrote in my notes:

I am doughty; fearless because I know my worth!

I pray that sent chills up your spine like it did mine. You are doughty! Be fearless because you are worth so much. So much that God the Father gave up His son to die on a cross so you could have a better life—free of fear… and then He sent Holy Spirit to live inside of you. You’re worth a lot! You are doughty; fearless because of your worth!

Prayer

Father… I thank You for making clear the truth that you did NOT give me a spirit of fear. Holy Spirit, you’re living inside of me and there is no fear inside of You. Increase the space you fill inside of me, increase to push out all fear. Let this truth be evidenced in my words so that I begin to feel brave and live courageously because I know who I am and I am Doughty! In Jesus Name…Amen

Here’s your #musicpic for the week

If I’ve piqued your interest in going through your own brain detox, I HIGHLY encourage it. If you do the work for 63 days , you will be changed. 21 times 3-the first 21 take more time, but the last twho phases of 21 don’t take as much time but totally necessary

It will be the best $38 US you’ve spent! If you take the course, email me (devotions@sherrystahl.com) and let me know by putting BRAIN DETOX SHEETS. I created some sheets to go along with her stuff that I can send you and I think they’ll help you get even more out of the course.
Here is a link to the course: https://21daybraindetox.com/
Here’s a link to Dr. Leaf’s site and info on her Switch On Your Brain 5-Step Learning Process https://drleaf.com/

If you liked the refreshing in this #SoulH2O devotion, you’ll love my latest Soul H2O Devotional book: 40 Thirst Quenching Devotions for Women.

2 Timothy 1:7
John 14:27
Romans 8:15
Isaiah 11:2

If you want to see what a logophile you are, here’s a link to the Reader’s Digest site and a wordy survey:
https://www.rd.com/culture/word-power-art/25/

WHERE YOU CAN OFTEN FIND ME LINKING UP MY BLOG WITH OR PLACES WHERE MY WRITING HAS BEEN FEATURED

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