We have been singing a song at church I absolutely love. The lyrics have become my theme song over the last several weeks. This is the bridge…
You make me brave
You make me brave
You call me out beyond the shore into the waves
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now the love that made a way
I will be the first to admit, at times I can be a bit of an adrenaline junkie, but typically only if it involves things like jumping out of planes or running far. As much as I love the high you experience after a rush of adrenaline, I have struggled with deep fear a lot of my adult life. Fear of the unknown, fear of what people will think, fear of silly things like elevators and murky water. The struggle with fear has caused 2 Timothy 1:7 to be seared into my brain:
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
And yet, for some reason, in a moment of bravery, I jumped headlong into a ministry which requires a lot of boldness. Ironically, the things I should probably be afraid of have not scared me in the least. I feel as though God has given me a sense of boldness and peace and love, confirmation this was the direction I was supposed to go. I have also prayed harder than I really ever remember praying. It is like my pastor said, you don’t have to ask people on mission if they are praying, it’s a given.
So Sunday as we sang “You make me brave” at least 50 times, I was reminded again it is not about me. It is not my bravery. It is not my love. It is not my passion. The truth is, I am not brave. I am the girl who would rather hide in the corner. I am the one who has to take a deep breath every time I get in an elevator. And I am the one who is brave because He has made me brave. I can love with Jesus’ love. Not my own which is imperfect, faulty, and treacherous. I can go into the dark because I carry the light. And I can be confident and bold because I know He who has overcome the world is in me.
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