Courage, Dear Heart
- Written by Beautifully Flawed Foundation
- April 24, 2025
Sometimes it feels as if darkness has us surrounded. Hope can seem completely lost and the tragedy too great to overcome. But then, in the midst of it all, there comes a whisper that says, “courage, dear heart.” It’s a whisper much like Aslan’s (the Jesus figure in the Chronicles of Narnia) to a girl named Lucy who was riddled with fear, hopelessness, and burdened by a weight she didn’t think she could carry. And yet, those three words set her free.
It’s a whisper that releases perfect peace and breathes hope into the soul. It heals the broken-hearted and infuses strength and bravery back into one’s bones. It’s the voice of the Savior reminding us of who we are, that we’re never alone, and He will carry us through.
“It’s a whisper that releases perfect peace and breathes hope into the soul.”
This is a glimpse of what Jesus has done in Casey Parker’s story. In the dark seasons, Jesus was right there with her, imparting hope and courage, orchestrating divine encounters and putting people in her life that would help her through.
At a very young age, Casey encountered great loss. Born with a disorder called Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency (PFFD) that causes the upper part of the femur bone to either be malformed or missing, Casey became an above the knee amputee in December 2001. She was only 1 years old. Experiencing limb loss at such a tender age and going through 10 major surgeries afterwards, her childhood was a very difficult one, forcing her to have to grow up quickly. She was faced with the insecurities of feeling “less than,” doubting her God-given worth, which were only accentuated by strangers’ stares, being treated differently, and even denied jobs.
By a completely divine encounter in 2013, Casey met Bethany Hamilton where she learned about the Beautifully Flawed Retreat for young women with limb difference. Taking a leap of courage, she applied to attend the upcoming retreat and a year later, at 14 years old, Casey found herself learning to adaptively surf at the foundation’s 2nd ever retreat: “I love the surf day. There’s just something about watching how excited the girls get catching their first wave. I always feel closer to God whenever I’m near the ocean, and because of the retreat, surfing has become one of my new favorite hobbies.”
The retreat so profoundly impacted her life, that Casey decided to return as an attendee again in 2017 and 2024. But these two times were different. Listening to the whisper of courage, Casey made the decision to overcome the shyness that had held her back at her first retreat. Finally allowing her walls to come down and giving room for Jesus to move and heal in only ways He could do, Casey found the freedom, healing, and friendships she’d been longing for: “When I’m at the retreat, I feel seen and heard in ways that foster true connection. I’m able to embrace vulnerability, talk about my struggles, celebrate my successes, and share my hopes and ideas for the future with friends who understand life with limb loss. I walk away inspired and thankful to know such brave women [and] I know any one of [them] would be there for me in a heartbeat if I needed them.”
God knew what Casey needed even before she did herself. Because of her listening to the Holy Spirit’s prompting and stepping out in courage, Casey discovered beautiful, life-giving friendships in women who inspired her with their resilience, bravery, and vulnerability. She found people who would be there for her, uplift her in her darkest moments, all the while, reminding her of who God created her to be.
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