Being Brave!

“Being Brave!”

I was a really shy kid. Like, painfully shy. I can literally remember being in public and hiding behind my mom as to not to have to talk to people. I thankfully have grown out of most of that now, but it was a problem for me probably until late high school/early college. That being said, a Bible verse that I committed to memory early on was 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.” I liked to recall that verse during times when I was especially struggling, and needed some encouragement to tackle whatever was in front of me.

Next week, we are beginning a six-week study based on the devotional “Being Brave” by Kelly Johnson. We are going to look at the characteristics of being Bold, Resilient, Authentic, Vulnerable, Engaged, and Empowered, and learn how Christ invites us to be brave in our everyday lives.

Some examples of being brave that Johnson mentions are:

• -          Being willing to move forward, even when I’m scared
• -          Living creatively, chasing my dreams, and not settling for safe
• -          Trusting other people, even though I have been hurt
• -          Being vulnerable and authentic in my relationships, even though I can’t control the outcome
• -          Asking for help
• -          Believing my story is an important part of the larger story God is telling
• -          Embracing progress, not perfection

An excerpt from the introduction to the book that I especially liked says,

Although God has given us all we need to be brave, many of us forget and find ourselves stuck in discouragement, fearfulness, and inaction. We play it safe when God wants us to be bold, and we hide from one another when God wants us to live in community. Being brave is our inheritance as children of God, and being brave is the path to a life of meaning, purpose, and adventure. Through our connection to one another and to God, we learn to tackle our greatest fears and move closer to our dreams. Together, we remember we are brave.

I’m so excited for us to start this study together, not only for us to grow in courage for ourselves and our relationships with God, but also in order for us to model braveness to those in our continuum of care. Let’s face it—the people that we serve on a daily basis desperately need to be brave. They are facing some difficult circumstances, and in order to be fully healed, they are going to have to do some hard work. The boldness, resilience, authenticity, vulnerability, engagement and empowerment that we are going to work on are definitely characteristics that every person that we see also need. It’s my hope that as we work on these in our own lives, we will be able to better serve those around us!

As I mentioned, this study is based on a book, which is a 40-day devotional. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and as an e-book, and the link is below, in case you are interested! Order here!

However, I’m also going to give away a copy. Comment in the discussion thread below in order to be entered in to the drawing!

Finally, I want to close with a song. “You Make Me Brave” by Bethel Music kept going through my head as I read and wrote this morning. 

My favorite thing about this song is the reminder that Christ makes us brave! While we have to participate in the process, we don’t have to do it alone. God GIVES us the power, love, and self-control that we need to work on our courage, so we can rest in that fact, and know that the steps we are taking are being guided by Him!

Have a great week, and I look forward to learning together about Boldness next week!

Discussion Questions (answer one to be entered in to the drawing: )

• -          Which of the focus words (Bold, Resilient, Authentic, Vulnerable, Engaged, Empowered) do you most look forward to learning more about?  
• 
  
• -          Who is someone that you see as brave?

** Feel free to e-mail me if you can’t get the comments to work! **