At launch last October, (seven months ago?!?) every person on my squad was given a key necklace. Each key had a word on it that was specifically chosen for the person it was for, and we were told to take these key necklaces with us on our journey to figure out what it means/fulfill the word in some way, and then to give the key away to someone we met on the race.
My key had the word “brave” on it. So I wore this key necklace for like 7 months. (Except, maybe, the 2 month period where I thought I lost it…) And there are a lot of moments on the race where I felt like I had fulfilled my key by being brave in some way; stepping out into uncomfortable things, or saying something difficult, acting despite any fear I might have had, etc. Typical brave things for an introvert.
And today I think I finally know what this word means to me, because today I gave my key away.
Okay so today (Saturday) half of my team did a kids ministry, where we went to two different spots in the neighborhood to hangout and play with the kids in the area. (The kids were about ages 7-13.) We did a skit about Jesus and Easter, taught them some dances, and played soccer. We had a lot of fun, and I was just thinking about how my day started off so poorly (it was just a grumpy day, ya know?) but it turned into such an awesome time getting to hangout with these kids and love on them, when my teammate asked the kids if one of them wanted to pray to end our little session. (And these kids are not all Christians, btw.) This one girl, who I had noticed earlier because of how shy she was when learning the dances, raised her hand immediately, and began to pray. But she didn’t pray out loud, just silently to herself and the other kids were telling her she had to do it loud so everyone could hear. And to that she looked a little mortified and said, “no, I’m too shy.” So my teammate just prayed us out instead.
And I’m not really sure what it was, (definitely Holy Spirit) but I felt like she had to have my key. That she needed the word “brave.”
So I walked over to her, asked her what her name was, and then asked the kids ministry leader (Vera) if she could translate for me. (The kids don’t know a lot of English, they speak mostly Romanian.)
(By the way, I’m in Romania.)
So I took off the necklace, and showed it to her and told her that I had this necklace with the word “brave” on it. And that I was also really shy. And praying out loud was sometimes scary for me too, because I don’t like to talk in front of people. But, I told her, I wear this key necklace to remind me to be brave. And even if I’m not brave, I have a friend that can be brave for me. That Jesus makes me brave. I told her that Jesus could make her brave too, and asked if she would accept the necklace from me. She did.
Now let me tell you what I see in this little girl.
I see bravery. The desire to be the person that stands out.
I see myself. A quiet, shy kid, unsure of herself in literally every way.
I see Jesus. Bringing both of those things together in a way that could only be to bring Him glory.
It’s the ordinary acts. The small, simple, brave things that we do. It’s an introvert talking about her feelings. A shy little girl raising her hand. Its deciding to follow Jesus, in every way big and small.
Bravery, to me, is not the ferocious lion but instead the meek little mouse.
And in this particular story, I don’t feel anything very grand. It wasn’t a nerve wracking, climax of the story, all intensive thing of finally finding the person to give my key to. It was simple, calm, and easy, to give my key away.
Which is why, good friends, I know that I am brave. And I know that the Father has made me so. Because simple, easy things like talking to a little girl about bravery would have been so much harder for me seven months, or a year ago. And now instead of the weight of a key on my neck reminding me to be brave, I have the freedom of knowing I already am.
In peace,
Britt.
