Articles
Bravery
Bravery
Someone once said, “Bravery is moving scared.” Bravery is not the absence of fear. It’s the determination to keep moving despite your fear. Have you ever moved scared? It’s like an out-of-body experience. Your legs are moving, your mouth is saying something, but it feels surreal and you can’t believe it’s happening. Guys, think of the first time you asked a girl out on a date. Butterflies in your stomach, sweaty palms, shallow breathing, terrified of rejection, but you somehow managed to put one foot in front of the other and use one word after the other, separated from your body as if watching yourself from above. That’s moving scared.
When Noah called the animals up and closed the door of the ark on the world, he was moving scared. When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea with a wall of water towering over them on both sides and the Egyptians on their heels, they were moving scared. God told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them,” (Joshua 1:6). He and the Israelites would have to move scared into Canaanite territory, farmers and slaves going to battle against soldiers. But how? How do we move scared in life? By knowing Who’s with us. “Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go!” (Joshua 1:9). If we wait until we aren’t scared to move, we’ll be paralyzed. God assures us we can move even if we’re scared because He is on our side!
It’s natural to be scared. The question is, what do we do with our fear? Bravery is moving scared; cowardice is sitting scared. The difference between the brave and the cowardly isn’t fear. They’re both scared! The difference is the brave move anyway.
In Luke 15, we see a tremendous act of bravery. After the younger son disgraced his father and wasted his inheritance, he came to his senses and realized the horror of what he had done. Then he said nine of the bravest words in Scripture: “I will get up and go to my father.” (15:18) How could he face his father after all that he had done? What if his father rejected him forever? What if his father punished him forever? Imagine the fear of that meeting! But he didn’t sit in that fear. He got up and went. He moved scared back to his Father, and was welcomed with open arms. Are you scared to come home to God? It’s okay. Just get up and go. Are you scared to face your parents to confess something awful you did? It’s okay. Just get up and go. Are you scared of what the future holds? Just get up and go. Are you scared of anything at all? Just get up and go. Bravery is moving scared.
