Be BRAVE!

To my girlies that weren’t able to join us for girls night we talked about being brave!! Here’s what I have to say...

I was either a junior or senior in high school when I decided to doing something totally crazy and insane and go for the big jump. Let’s rewind…. I had a friend with a lake house back in high school on Lake Martin. For those of you who are disgusted by the lake (I know the water can be kinda nasty) or have never been to Lake Martin- it has a famous rock for jumping into the water. The rock is called Chimney Rock and it is equipped with a small jumping point, a medium jumping point, and a rather LARGE jumping point. When I say large, i’m talking 60 ft. of air time before hitting the water. I jumped from the medium and got a little too confident, a little too comfortable, and decided to go for the official Chimney Rock- all 60 ft of it. First I had to free-climb up there, which for some reason didn’t really scare me (the thought of it now, terrifies me), then it was run, jump, and of course make sure that you jump out far enough to not hit the cliff on the way down (which is what the man that was camping on the top of the mountain told me). Something hit me when I was standing on the top… jumping was the only way down. I’m sure if I was a skilled rock climber, I could probably manage to backwards free-climb my way down, but I sure wasn't! I was shaking from the nerves and started to panic, but then I jumped. I was BRAVE. This was actually was one of the bravest things I have ever done (and will definitely never do again because the bruises I got from hitting the water were WICKED).

I’m not saying that you have to jump from a cliff to prove your bravery- I actually am very much against that plan. Your bravery has probably looked a lot different. Maybe it looks like- having that hard conversation with a friend that you have been putting off having, or trying out for something big at school, or doing something completely spontaneous and out of your comfort zone! Bravery can look like so many different things!! Let’s take a closer look at what bravery looks like for a believer!

First let’s define bravery: Bravery: the quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty. The state of being brave is having courage.

2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgement.”

I feel like the word “power” in this verse could be interchanged with bravery or courage.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of bravery/courage, love and sound judgement/self-control.

Let’s dig deeper into what Paul is reminding Timothy here…Right before we see this verse, Paul is reminding Timothy of the faith that he saw in his grandmother, his mother, and finally the faith that he is seeing in him. Paul is helping Timothy remember to be brave and show the faith that has gone on for generations!!

I know in situations it can feel easier to hide or look for a way out- like I did once I made it to the top of Chimney Rock, but we have to remember that God calls us to bravery each and every day and he has equipped us for this bravery through the Spirit!!

But Paul isn’t just reminding Timothy to be brave here, he is also sending him out to be brave!! Vs. 8 goes on to say, “So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God.”

God has given us a spirit of BRAVERY, LOVE, AND SELF-CONTROL and we are a living testimony of His goodness. So, we need to commit to being BRAVE!!! I know that some of y’all are like Laurel I don’t even know where to begin to be brave and that’s okay to admit!!

Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”

Let’s start by trusting in what God can do.