Fiercehearted, Live Fully, Love BravelySample

Six: Brave on the Inside

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, 

for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

(Joshua 1:9)

It’s easier not to get entangled in this life. It’s safer to turn our heads and look the other way. But I think we, as women, all have moments when it’s time to put on the superhero cape and come to the rescue. 

And when we do, because we are human, we will almost always wind up with the scars to prove it. These are our badges of honor. These are the bits of us that say, “I’m for you, and I’m willing to show it.” 

These scars belong to the mama standing up for the child who’s being bullied. To the coworker who asks the outcast out to lunch. To the wife who gets on her knees for her marriage. To the teenager who walks away from the gossip. 

To you in any moment when you say, “The enemy is not getting away with it this time.” And when I say “enemy,” I’m not talking about each other or any human. I’m talking about the darkness itself. 

Part of daring to be who we are, of living fiercehearted, is knowing when it’s time to roar, when it’s the moment to fight hard, when it’s worth the fractured plan or broken heart. In other words, when it’s time to get involved. 

This is not always the choice we are to make. Some battles are not ours to fight. And knowing the difference takes a lot of wisdom and prayer and unnecessary bruises when we go running in anyway. But we learn. 

We become sneaky ninjas in tennis shoes and fuzzy slippers. We who are all softness and grace on the outside are tough as steel on the inside. Our hearts are wild and alive and mighty. We are braver than we feel, stronger than we know.