O God… Give Me Courage. Poem by ashok jadhav

(A dim spotlight. The speaker kneels center stage, hands clenched, voice trembling yet rising with desperation.)

O God… give me courage.
Not the kind that hides behind words,
not the kind that pretends to be strong
while breaking inside.
Give me courage to speak
when my throat feels full of fear,
to stand
when every bone in me screams to fall,
to act
when the world insists I remain still.
I have lived in shadows too long.
I have whispered truths I wanted to scream,
paused in moments I should have seized,
held back when my heart knew better.
O God… give me courage.
Let me face the storms I've been running from,
let me face the people who doubt me,
let me face myself—
all of me—the trembling, the flawed, the frightened.
Let me rise even if the ground beneath me shakes,
even if my hands are empty,
even if my voice cracks.
For courage is not the absence of fear.
It is the decision to move forward
while fear still claws at your ribs,
while doubt whispers in your ear,
while the night feels endless.
O God… give me courage.
Not tomorrow.
Not when it is convenient.
Now.
Here.
In this breath, this heartbeat, this life.
(The speaker lifts their head, closes their eyes, exhales slowly. Silence.)