On bravery...

Brene Brown regularly says the being brave is being vulnerable.

I spent most of my life NOT being brave. I did what I thought others expected of me and chose things at which I knew I would succeed. Zero vulnerability. Relatively low risk of failure. Safe. So NOT brave. So fearful. So wanting to be applauded, accepted, liked, approved, affirmed (apparently I like “A” words… part of me desperately wants to remove “liked” from this list so that alliteration abounds!)

I still play it relatively safe. I only talk about Jesus if other people bring Him up… I try not to offend (and still fail…  imagine if I wasn’t trying to be safe?! Oh, the people I would offend!) I avoid hard conversations to the best of my ability (unless it’s with someone I have deemed “safe”). I try to be genuinely likable. I carefully chose my vulnerability… since being authentic and vulnerable is kind of the trend now, I have allowed myself to do it to an extent.

However, I hide this blog… I don’t publicize it. I am so afraid that people will read my words and know something about me that I don’t want them to know… or worse, they will think I am a horrible writer wasting space on the internet (totally dumb… there is really stupid stuff on the internet!) But today I have decided to let people in to this space. I know that doesn’t really seem brave… especially in light of what others do… the BIG brave things that people do… but if bravery is truly just being vulnerable, then bravery is going to look differently for everyone.

For my friend that’s a single mom, bravery is signing her child up for daycare so she can complete more of her work at home… even though sending her babies to daycare was not something she ever wanted to do.

For my other friend, bravery is wearing a tank top and showing her arms- about which she is self-conscious.

For some, bravery may be taking a trip… signing up for a gym membership… looking a stranger in the eye and saying hello… quitting a job (or staying at a job you hate!)… inviting a neighbor over to your less-than-perfect home.

Find what bravery looks like for you today… maybe it’s simply asking God what the next small step of faithfulness is and taking that step… trusting Him even though it may not look like you want it to look… even though it’s scary. As terrified as I am to let people know I (gulp) blog, I honestly feel like this is what being faithful is for me. I am to share the growth I have experienced through following Jesus… and I am to share it with others.

So, here I am. Judge away. I can take it.