I will be the first one to tell you that when a phrase get’s stuck in my head I use it frequently. I find that when a phrase enters my mind it is there to serve a purpose so I try and tell everyone that I think could be in need of hearing it. For the past few days that phrase has been “be brave.” I have always liked the phrase and I have always believed whole heartedly that bravery is something that we all should possess. For so many reasons even for a reason we may never understand.
Now, I used to think that being brave meant standing your ground to people who were better than you or stronger than you. I used to be an ice skater and that was a main component of our performances. We needed to “be brave” & not fear the outcome of a situation. We had to go out and perform our best without letting our fear of not winning get in the way of that. I was brave. The same went for when I took Taekwondo in my elementary years. There would be times that we would have to spar against an opponent. Our instructors would tell us to remember what we learned and go out to the opponent and use what we learned as a defense. Be brave in what our abilities were as a fighter.
I like the way Nelson Mandela puts it, ““I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” “Courage is not the absence of fear,” just because we are afraid does not mean that we are not brave. But as he goes on to say it is that triumph over the fear that we are proven to be brave. We can fear. Fear is inevitable as humans. We fear everything. We fear getting older, we fear change, we fear people that we feel threatened by, we even sometimes fear the person we like. Fear is truly inescapable. But as Mandela says being brave is not defined by the fear itself, it is defined by conquering that fear. I can fear many things and fail, but I can also fear and yet be considered brave.
I would say that I have been pretty brave throughout my life. I was never afraid to try something new (even if it got me in trouble.) I have never let fear shut me down it’s almost been a motivator for me. But I realize that the older I get the harder this bravery comes naturally.
About three weeks ago my families house burned down. My teenage brother and sister lost all their belongings. I thought back to when I was 17 or 14 would I have been as brave as them? When you are a teenager it is so important to have the best clothes, look your best and have the best stuff.. and now they have nothing. I couldn’t imagine. I am honestly amazed at the bravery that my family bestowed throughout all the fear. Looking at my house burning I thought, “there is no way that we will get through this quickly.” Oh ye of little faith. By the grace of God my family is thriving with bravery. We have conquered the fear of losing their livelihood and no longer being afraid of what you can lose in this world. It truly shows you how precious the ones that you love are. Hold on to them tightly.
As I am prepare to depart on a trip of a lifetime I will remember this bravery my family as shown me. Not only is this trip going to completely change the basis of who I am as a person but it will test the inner markings of my soul. It will create a new person inside of me. One that I have never seen before. I have already seen the effects of taking risks and being surprised at the person that shows up when you realize that you just did something completely out of your comfort zone. It’s invigorating. It’s what I want my life to be all about. I want to be brave and I want to live it out daily.
This phrase (“be brave”) will be the heart of these 11 months that I will begin in September. I want to be brave, dauntless, fearless and open to the world and what He has to teach me. I don’t want to hold back because each time I let fear conquer I lose an opportunity for a time of growth. I want to conquer the things that people tell me will be hard to do. I want to make sure that God’s power is not hindered by the fear that I let rule my thoughts. I want to be brave not only for myself but for my teammates. Although the times ahead will not always be fun and easy, the courage we will create in ourselves will be life changing. I want to be brave because fear does not define me. I cannot wait. Thank you Jesus for making me brave in the past and thank you in advance for making me brave on this journey.
