Brave is…

…when you send the email apologizing, and don’t even know if there will be a response.

…when you sit and breathe deep, and stay engaged in the disagreement–unsure if you’ll even be heard.

…when you stand before a crowd of people, on a scary stage alone, and speak your story out loud … not knowing if it will help anyone, or if you’ll be looked at differently from now on, or if there’s ever any good that can come of it at all.

…when you choose what is right, even in the face of the wrong being easier–because the core of His Spirit in you, says you must.

…when you cheer for the underdog, even though you might get rejected, because everyone really does deserve someone who believes in them.

…when you speak thanks to a person who means so much to you, even though they don’t even know who you are.

…when you are frazzled and worn by the wear of the day,  you still read one-more book, and get one-last drink, and when you want nothing more than to do your own thing after that, you still stay and scratch her back longer because she asked you to … because you know there’ll come a day you wished you would have lingered more.

Brave is staring down fear, and risking rejection–still believing and trusting anyway.

It’s when you know the real you–all you’ve done, where you’ve been, who you’ve hurt and how you’ve failed. And still, you stand strong, and stare down the guilt and shame anyway–when you absorb the beyond-belief truth that you are chosen, and wanted, and loved in spite of it all.

It’s when you believe what He says: that He is for you, not against you. That He has forgiven you and not rejected you. And that He wants to use you… yes you, right where you are.

This … ALL this, my friends,  is brave.

What risks have you taken lately?

How have you been brave?

I’m joining Lisa-Jo, over at her site today, to take five minutes and just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. The challenge is to write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing, with the prompt she gives. And today, her prompt:

Brave…

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