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Strong, Brave, Loved by Holley GerthSample

Strong, Brave, Loved by Holley Gerth

DAY 5 OF 7

Day Five

Show Up Anyway

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 16:13


I drift tentatively through the door of a ministry event along with other women. We scan the room and look for seats. A place to belong. Isn’t that what everyone wants? Each spot at every table has a little plate with a miniature dessert on it. I choose a chocolate cupcake. 

We talk and laugh, a speaker shares, and then it’s time for discussion questions. The first one: What makes you feel brave? 

I can barely come up with an answer. I say something about thinking back on what God has already done in my life. But I feel as if I’ve left out something important and true. Alone in my room later that evening, I realize it’s this: I never feel brave. I can’t think of a single time brave showed up as an emotion in my world. 

I know what it is to be brave. But in those times, what I feel first is fear. As I think about this, I realize maybe I’ve misunderstood what brave feels like. I thought it was a roar and a lunge. But maybe it is a whisper and a trembling step. I thought it was loud and bold. Perhaps it is quiet and almost invisible. I thought it meant the absence of all insecurity. Yet I’m wondering now if bravery is just faith dancing the two-step with doubt. 

If this is so, then what makes me act brave is also what scares me silly. 

This lets me breathe a sigh of relief because it means I don’t have to wait to be filled with confidence before I can do anything. I can just show up anyway. If that’s so, then I have more courage than I thought. And more answers than I realize, including the one I wish I’d had at the round table with those lovely folks. If I could go back to that moment, I’d say, “I’m not sure what makes me brave, but I know Who does. And I know what being brave makes us—strong, fierce, and a force to be reckoned with in this world.” 


God, You give us so much more than just emotion; You give us Your presence, power, truth, and help. Even when we’re afraid, we can show up and be brave because we belong to You. Amen.

Day 4Day 6

About this Plan

Strong, Brave, Loved by Holley Gerth

When we’re weary from our work and worries, it can be difficult to feel strong. When we’re scared of the future or the past, we wonder if we will ever be brave. When we’re weak, we struggle to believe that we're loved. The good news is, we don’t have to feel strong, brave, or loved because we are. May this week-long devotional help you embrace what is true about you.

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