Becki Graves
A Guest Post
I’m taking back the word brave.
It’s paired with grandiose events and intellectuals. But I believe it takes bravery to live in the ordinary. The mundane, day-to-day.
Sometimes bravery looks like getting out of bed in the morning. Choosing to put one foot in front of the other when you’re world is crumbling around you. The world keeps spinning, but your heart is tired and it’s hard to muster up strength to just be.
Sometimes bravery looks like raising a family. Being asked (forced?) to constantly put your own needs on the back burner. Smiling through tired eyes at your kiddos despite only sleeping a few hours a night. Teaching little people how to be decent human beings through discipline, learning, and love. Not only that, but finding joy in them.
Sometimes bravery looks like being in love with your spouse. Choosing to love one another deeply. To be a constant companion to walk through ups and downs with. Continually choosing them, even though it can be difficult.
Sometimes bravery looks like asking the one person that everyone thinks you should be friends with to coffee. You know, the one you think is too cool to be friends with you? Not only going to coffee, but actually talking about things that matter.
Sometimes bravery looks like letting go of ______. You name it: relationships, your favorite unhealthy food, ego, short-comings.
Sometimes bravery looks like searching. Continuing to walk into the unclear and grey areas. When everyone else sees in black and white, having the courage to ask questions that make people uncomfortable, that make youuncomfortable.
Sometimes bravery looks like admitting you’re wrong. Choosing relationship over the need to be right, over pride of looking foolish.
Sometimes bravery looks like waiting. Choosing to be fully present while you’re waiting for something. A promise to be fulfilled. Choosing to worship and stay engaged.
Sometimes bravery looks like being present. Choosing to stay and experience the now, instead of rushing to the next event, meeting, or cup of coffee.
Sometimes bravery is loving people even though they let you down. To be hurt means that you actually have love in your heart. For my friends who love Jesus, it means God exists there.
Sometimes bravery means being the bigger person. Even though you’ve been wronged, hurt, maybe even taken advantage of. Everything in you wants to retaliate, and make the other suffer. But you don’t. You lean towards humanity. You lean toward grace.
Sometimes bravery means being fully yourself. No matter what anyone else tells you, the gift to this world is who you are. Your likes, dislikes, passions, humor, laugh, and frown lines.
Sometimes bravery means redeeming baggage. Experiences stay with us. Use it. Learn from it.
Sometimes bravery means letting people love you. Not just brushing off a kind word. Daring to believe that it just may be true, and that maybe…just maybe, that’s how people view you. Not with the distorted lenses you view yourself with.
Sometimes bravery looks like choosing forgiveness. I don’t believe forgiveness truly begins until you walk in it every day, and pray for the person that hurt you.
Sometimes bravery is simply admitting your brave in the ordinary. Choose to dig your feet in, and love the people around you that drive you nuts. To embrace whatever season your in and learn from it. To be fully human, taking the good days with the bad. Learning to love yourself and embrace your character. To feed your soul with good books, and green pastures. To let your heart break, and feel brokenness deeply, and be moved to action. To celebrate that problem area on your body that really is your best feature. Live in the present and experience the richness of life in the ordinary.