Brave

"Say what you wanna say, And let the words fall out. Honestly... I wanna see you be brave"

The tune echos in my mind. What does it mean to be brave?

I've been reflecting a lot on the courage it must have taken Jesus to follow through with God's work. To submit to suffering. To ride the donkey to Jerusalem. To watch his friends abandon him. To be charged by the Sanhedrin. To stand silent in front of Pilot. To carry his own cross.

Is it courageous to speak up? Is it courageous to remain silent?

We have each been given a candle. A small light to shine. The call of who we were made to be. To be brave is to carry that candle out in front of us regardless of the consequence.

I've been thinking about my own candle. Am I brave enough to let it shine?

Do I have the courage to lay down my pride, my pretense, and my self-righteousness to embrace vulnerability and authenticity? Am I brave enough to live in my own skin, to be the person God made me to be? To follow the call on my life?

Jesus was brave enough to trust that God had a plan. We too are called to be brave.