{People might think I'm brave, but I'm not}

Kate : "People might think I'm brave, but I'm not."

Leopold : "Brave is simply those with the clearest vision for what is before them.  Glory and danger alike and not withstanding they go out to meet it."

I love the movie Kate and Leopold. Impossible love story, that becomes amazingly possible.Doesn't life feel that way most days....seriously, ya'll most days I feel caught up in real life scenarios screaming "Impossible!" Like handling {and spoiler alert ** {balance} doesn't exist. Knowing your season of life and living accordingly is more like it...} motherhood, coach's wife, ministry growth, doctor appointments, snack times, lunch meet ups, event planning, margin to breath, research time, writing time, creative resource meetings, and gas money to keep the Trotter tribe activity bus rolling are all given to the screaming "Impossible!" every day. But God has gotten this ridiculously amazing notion stuck on repeat in my head and heart that is saving my life everyday..."ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH ME, CARI!"However, just knowing that doesn't make me brave.Most days I want to wake up brave.  Most days I want to live beyond the fears and lies that bounce around in my noggin. Most days I want to leap through the numerous questions over how in the world all the dreams in my heart will come to pass.  Most days I want to wake up full of faith that every giant hunting me down to make me look foolish will be removed.Wanting and Heart Actuality are too different things.  Completely...different...things. Most days I do not feel like being brave.  Most days I wake up so keenly aware of my shortcomings it could steal the breath right out from my lungs. You name an insecurity and I am met with the opportunity to overcome it or be challenged by it every single day. No matter the earth I've overcome, there is a choice I am met with every day to indulge fear or build my faith.Every day I am met with the choice to finish out the 24 hours I am breathing by way of the flesh or according to the empowerment of the spirit of the Living God working miraculously through me. I love what Leopold's response to Kate is when she is feeling fragile and weak..."Brave is simply those with the clearest vision for what is before them.  Glory and danger alike and not withstanding they go out to meet it."Friend, I know you are facing things that scare you...You are facing new jobs that scare you.You are facing tough seasons of marriage that spin you round and round in fear.You are facing parenting choices that make you feel ill-equipped.You are facing body image pressures that fill you with anxiety.You are facing relationships that consistently intimidate you.You are a facing a culture that seems to be against everything you stand for.You are facing financial pressure that threaten to steal the momentum of your dreams.We are all facing a lot.Glory and danger alike are before us all every single day. Every. Single. Day.With incredible sensitivity to the depth of what God is asking of us and how sacrificial the choice can feel - Will we be willing to {not withstanding} go out to meet them both with faith-filled brave courage? The word {brave} is relative to the empowerment we allow God to pour over our lives. That's the clearest vision :: Jesus has a sole desire to meet you with bravery, faithfulness, hope and power each day for each moment.Real talk - allowing Jesus to empower you inside moments of weakness will whittle down to choice. The choice to let God's Word, His heart and His Grace to steward our days well will come down to our willingness. It will be a decision to go against my natural inclination to worry, stew and fret and CHOOSE the version of {brave} God wants to empower me with.When the day seems drowning in the attacks of the enemy CHOOSING to bravely crank up the worship music in the the face of it all and sing yourself brave gives Jesus the opportunity to empower you.When the amount of nuances contenting against you living out fruitful days seems insurmountable and keeps you in a reactionary cycle of answering text messages, emails and adding new things to your calendar at lighting speed will we be willing to CHOOSE to bravely slow our hearts down and yield to the rhythms of God's wisdom, timing and seasons?When relationships are hard to handle are we willing to bravely CHOOSE to speak words of kindness, healing and hope?When we feel frustrated in our callings or delayed in God's purpose can we CHOOSE to bravely pray with great intention and force that God would in fact be motivated to give revelation, stir up fresh perspective or add more resolve to our hearts to keep going?When loss or brokenness seems to be all we have in our hands CHOOSING bravely to appropriate God's medicinal joy and memory of Victory by faith gives us "Heaven coming to earth" kind of power.We may not feel brave, but by God's grace we are BECOMING a Heaven issued, empowered kind of brave - capable of living beyond mere circumstantial bravery and by way of bold God glorifying bravery."My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." {2 Corinthians 12:9}"Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe...." {Ephesians 1:18-19}