Am I brave enough?
That is a question that begins for us when we are just learning to reach, to walk, to journey on our own. In all honesty, I don’t know if that question ever leaves us. Am I brave enough to trust? Am I brave enough to follow? Am I brave enough to lead? Am I brave enough to…
I watched my daughter half in jammies and half in snow gear standing in the window light watching all of the kiddos in our neighborhood run and play in the new winter wonderland that occurred overnight. As she debated whether to join them, I knew the thoughts that she was processing so well. “Am I brave? Is the adventure worth the possible cost?”
Several times in my own life I have asked myself that same question. And sometimes, as I hold my breath, I realize that my answer is “No,” when I want so desperately for it to be “yes.” Sometimes fear takes control of my actions when I should be looking only to God for direction.
We were never created to live in fear. One of my favorite reminders of this is in the book of Timothy: “God did not give us a spirit of fear. He gave us a spirit of power and of love and of a good mind.” Any fears I am experiencing are never from God.
As I learn to fully embrace the life that God has for me, I am learning to take the next steps He has called me to with reckless abandon, without fear. He wants us to trust that the One who calls us to a new challenge and adventure will also go before us fiercely.
Over and over God promises us that He will be with us always; even when the path in front of us is hard and unknown, and even when the idea of being brave seems unrealistic. He loves us to trust Him. He wants us to follow Him even when the path makes us stop and ask, “Am I brave enough?”
So let’s attack this life knowing that the adventures, painful walks, or uncertain journeys in front of us are an invitation to trust our Lord and lean into His plan for our lives. It’s then when we get another chance to learn how to live free.
