When I think about the kind of woman I want to become, a few words come to mind, some I’ve already shared with you: open-hearted, generous, loving. And another one: brave.
In the last few months, my quest for greatness has also been a quest for bravery. It all started when Ashley Farris gave us Let’s All Be Brave by Annie F. Downs. That book wrecked my life in a good way. Annie is a wonderful writer. She also loves Jesus and also lives in Nashville (what are the odds). As I read her words, I realized I needed to do some brave things. So I broke up with my boyfriend (who is a great man, by the way), started counseling (not because of my boyfriend), and tried to be brave every day.
Mostly I’ve failed. I let countless opportunities to exercise bravery slip away. But there are also many times I win the battle to be brave—like the time I went to downtown Nashville with friends on New Years Eve, despite being a major introvert; or the time I walked right through a throng of people at the movie theater to buy a snack, instead of taking the long way around to avoid them all (another introvert thing); or when I went dancing with another group of friends last Friday (seriously, my inner grandma was ready to start a coup).
I know these sound small and silly to some, but some of the things I do with no second thought might be your brave moment—like walking into a school full of teenagers, without knowing any of them, and actually trying to befriend them so I can tell them about Jesus; or speaking in front of 100 people at a benefit dinner; or leaving behind my dream of going to law school, giving up a lot of stuff, and moving across the country to be a missionary. The point is, we can all be braver, and we don’t have to do something drastic (like move to a foreign country…although props if you do) to start.
Bravery is a journey, and thankfully we’re not alone in it.
A couple of my missionary sisters, Asia-Lyn and Amanda, started a “Bravery Challenge” this month. Every day, they try to do something brave, big or small. It’s been cool to see, as well as celebrate their successes and encourage them in the process. Check out some of their brave moments at their blogs.
Do you consider yourself to be brave? Give me all the details. Even if you don’t think of yourself as brave, what is an example of something you’ve done that was brave? Tell me about it in the comments section below. You never know—your brave moment could be the one that inspires someone else to be brave!
In the words of my BFF Annie F. Downs (okay, we’ve never met, but how cool would it be if we WERE friends): let’s all be brave.
