Brave Together

I’ve got a new idea. I wrote about this in my newsletter this week, but the idea continues to expand in my mind. What if we were brave together instead of trying to be brave alone? What if we said aloud what scares us? What if another person’s story of bravery helps us be brave? What if our story encourages someone else to step out in faith?

This came to me as I was thinking about my family’s recent trip to a theme park. One of my kids was really nervous about riding the roller coasters. In fact, on the first day, he would only ride the small ones. But then, his little brother (four years younger!) rode several! This inspired my older son. His little brother’s bravery was contagious, and our second day there, he rode every single roller coaster in the park. He was scared, squeezing my hand or his dad’s, but he was brave.

Our world has so drastically changed in the last few years that I think a lot of us are gun shy. We are scared to try something new. We’ve had our fill of change and transition, but there is a longing inside of us to be courageous and step out into the unknown.

It occurred to me this morning that uncertainty can be pretty scary. I’m in an uncertain place right now regarding my kids’ schooling for next year. Our plan fell apart, and we’re right back where we started. Everything feels uncertain.

I remember “uncertainty” was a buzz word in 2020 as far as Covid and its implications were concerned. We were all uncertain, and that made us feel extremely uncomfortable not knowing what was next. The other thing I realized about uncertainty is that it can actually be exciting, exhilarating, and adventurous. When we don’t know what lies around the next bend in the road, we might be tempted to assume it’s big, ugly, and scary. What if, instead, it was glorious, beautiful, and thrilling? What if we reframed our uncertainty as a chance to be surprised by joy?

What if it’s really true that we can walk in courage to face the new thing and not be defeated by it? What if it’s really true that we won’t walk the road alone but with others? What if it’s true that He, Himself, will go before us, behind us, and surround us in His love?

It is true, friend. I want to invite you on this journey with me. Would you share your story of fear or bravery or both? Let me elevate your story to encourage others to be brave in theirs. We can be brave, together.

Send your story to amanda@amandageidl.com.