Brave as a Lion

The wicked are afraid of everything, but those who live right are as brave as lions. (Proverbs 28:1 ERV)

What gets you to the place of taking action in your life? Sometimes it is much easier to just be sidelined, not in the thick of things, letting things swirl out of control without us being right in the middle of those things, isn't it? We don't actually want to be all that "brave" or "into" the actions because there is a little bit of risk beyond what we may really want to take if we choose action over being sidelined. There are really a couple of things that place us on the sidelines - one is the choice to not even put forth the effort so we aren't asked to "play" in the game - the other is that we aren't quite ready because we haven't quite learned what is needed to keep us safe if we were to be in the thick of the action. Another may be something we didn't control, but which left us kind of "laid up" or "lame" for a period of time - making it almost impossible for us to move beyond the sidelines until that "injury" is mended. Sideline sitting is just not the same as being in the game, though. To mend or to learn makes the sidelines a little more endurable, but we are likely eager to be back in the game. To lack the desire to even play in the game, that is where we need to ask God to help us!

Inaction will not help us develop in any respect - it becomes too easy to just let things go by without really taking notice of them. What we "brave" might actually make us a little "braver" in the long run. Honore de Balzac, the French novelist, says it this way: "It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action." We might not want to "brave" the things in front of us, but let me assure you of this - until we get in the game God has asked us to engage in, whatever that may be, we will never develop the courage to move forward. We will endure the sidelines, but we will have no reward in the victory, for we did not participate in it. There are probably areas in each of our lives where God has asked us to step up and take some form of action. In those areas, big or small, it is often the first step of obedience that is the hardest.

Rarely do we just jump up and down with delight when the challenge ahead of us appears hard or like it will be very costly. I need new counters and faucets in the bathrooms - they are quite old, scratched, water spotted, and just need a little refreshing. The task seems simple enough as the counters/sinks are those one piece jobs. It looks like there aren't that many steps to the task, but let me assure you of this one fact - every time (and I mean every time) I have undertaken a "remodel" task of any nature, it usually has way more steps and dollars required than I ever dreamed when starting the task! Has it stopped me? I will admit, it has "slowed" me, but it hasn't stopped me completely. I deliberate for a while on how to do it, when is the right timing, how much the supplies will cost, what other things I could encounter when I get into the project, etc. Eventually, I get to the point that I undertake the project. It isn't that I am all that brave, I just get to the point I ask God to help me "brave" the task at hand and then I jump in.

Have I been injured and laid up on occasion? You betcha! Have I encountered difficulties beyond what I first dreamed possible? Certainly! Have I enjoyed overcoming those difficulties? Absolutely not! At least not until they are fully past me and I am "in the clear" from whatever they were. But...life's greatest blessings don't necessarily come to us on the sidelines of life. The celebration of victory goes to those who were participants in the journey toward it! Just sayin!

Bravery

"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid." (Franklin P. Jones) I have to take issue with Mr. Jones on this one, because when we hold all of our fear internally so no one become the wiser we are struggling, we can count on at least one other individual knowing we are afraid - God! You may not realize this, but I have often asked others why it is God needs us to admit we are afraid, hurting, feeling lonely, etc., when he knows our thoughts and hearts already. I believe it may just be more for us than it is for him - because we have this tendency to "mask over" our true "state" or "condition" of mind and heart. When we are finally willing to admit it to him, we might be at the place we will admit it to ourselves!

No creature can hide from God: God sees all. Everyone and everything is exposed, opened for His inspection; and He’s the One we will have to explain ourselves to. (Hebrews 4:13 VOICE)

If it is impossible to really hide ourselves from God (our true selves), then why is it we try so hard to make up how we feel inside because we think if he really knew how we feel he'd be put off or somehow think less of us?  What is really happening is that we think less of ourselves when we face these very real emotional struggles inwardly.  We somehow think we are not "measuring up" to our potential - and maybe we are not, but that only means we may not be focusing on the right things.  We can be emotionally insecure and put on the greatest display of courage for others to see, but God isn't fooled by our display.

Most of the fear I have faced in life really comes down to one thing - I have been counting on myself to rise to the challenge and to overcome the obstacles.  I have to admit, I have leaned on my own abilities way too much at times, only to be trembling on the inside the entire while, all because I knew my own abilities may not have been sufficient.  This usually proved true, simply because I tend to take on big challenges without any clear direction when I do this.  God isn't after us becoming "puppets" he can control when he asks us to trust him with our lives.  He is after us becoming reliant upon the strength he gives when we lean into him and seek his direction.

You may never know what the other person is walking through in life - because we ALL have this tendency to put on brave fronts on occasion.  It is either because we are too intimidated by others to ask for their help, or we are too determined to show them we can do it.  Either way, our pride gets in the way of us being genuine.  I really had my eyes opened to this when one of the ladies in my group began to really open up one night as we sat around sharing. She began with something like, "I don't get it.  You are all put together, in this great relationship with Jesus, and look at me.  I am always struggling, never getting it right, and I suck at life."  It was at that very moment I finally saw how much my "masking" my real me was actually hurting others around me who were judging where they were in life by the way I "appeared to be" in mine!

I was so guarded about all the very real struggles in my own life so as not to let others know I was actually "human" that others were thinking I had it all together!  Spoiler alert:  I didn't then and I still don't!  If I ever do "get it together", please know it will likely be the very moment I enter heaven's gates!  Bravery isn't the mask we wear to show everyone else we are strong and courageous.  It is the mask we remove letting others see we are just like them after all!  Just sayin!