To live life to the fullest requires one to be brave. After all, life is an adventure of moving from what is known to what is new. It’s a journey that requires both courage and faith. Looking back, every life altering decision I have ever made proves it to be so…
Accepting that first dinner invitation from a handsome boy with the kind blue eyes; the boy who would, one day, become my husband. Brave.
Picking up stakes and moving away from my roots in order to start a new life after college graduation. Brave.
Leaving my career so that I could be available to my children full-time, even when the budget said it was impossible. Brave.
Starting the process of bringing home our fourth child through domestic infant adoption. Brave!
Every one of these milestones in my life required more courage than I can muster on my own. And yet, a refusal to step in faith, because of fear, would have denied me great blessing and purpose in my life. It’s not that I am a naturally courageous woman. To the contrary, my first inclination is to hunker down and take the safe road. Still, when God puts His best in front of me, I am challenged to be brave. By His power, I want to see what is on the other side of that fear more than I want to hide in my bunker. I suspect I am not alone. In fact, it’s a familiar battle waged in the heart of every believer. The unknown is scary. But faith in God trumps fear. Every time!
The Bible declares that God wants His people to be brave. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) As women of faith, we are not exempt from that challenge. To the contrary, we are called to walk in faith in spite of our fear.
Consider Deborah. One of the great judges of Israel, Deborah led her people during a time of overwhelming cruelty and oppression. Despite her fears, and I am sure she had them, God called Deborah into battle. Courage, coupled with complete faith in God, led Deborah to grand victory and her people to deliverance. I believe that God used this single woman, the only female judge in Israel’s history, to teach us that women must not shrink from life’s challenges. Like Deborah, we are all called to be brave, to leave our comfort zones, and follow God’s lead.
Confucius wisely declared, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” What he failed to point out is that each single step will require faith and courage you do not possess on your own. Deborah had to follow God and leave the security of her judgement seat in order to win victory on the battlefield. The same is true for you and me today, dear sister in Christ.
So, Dear One, put on your armor, take a deep breath, and pray for courage. Then take that first step out of your comfort zone and resolve to follow God’s call on your life. To be sure, it won’t be easy. It’s okay to admit you are afraid. But, the world is waiting. The time is now. Go on, Daughter of the King. Put your faith in action. It’s time to be brave.
By Heather Arbuckle
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Loved reading this, Heather!! My husband and I have one bio son and are also in the process of adopting an infant domestically. Definitely heading over to check out your blog…….now. 🙂
This was beautifully written! Thank you for sharing.
This was beautifully written! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for this post. Feeling fear and stepping out in faith requires us to be brave. I am in a place in my life right now that requires courage but all I feel is fear. Yet I know this is where God wants me to be and the direction he wants me to go in. I hold on to my faith and pray and feel the fear but I keep going forward. In fact starting my blog was a lot like that to but I could hear God’s words ringing in my ears “Just go for it” so I did with a lot of fear and doubt and I don’t know…Sometimes the work God has for us to do means we need to face fears and as you say be brave. I think I needed to read the message in your post today as it has been a reassurance to me especially in my current situation. Thank you.
WOW … I was looking for comfort from the Lord today and He delivered that through this post. The seeds of fear had taken hold in my heart. I am so thankful that God knows how to pull these weeds out of my heart.
whew, I need to be brave…
Thank you for this post. I know I need to be brave but most of the time fear overwhelms me. Three months ago I quit my old job and started with a new totally different one. I know that some people see it as a setback, but almost everyday there is a moment when I thank God for this new opportunity. For ten years I was scared of a new job, but when it came to a point that I was depressed, I got the courage. The other bigger fear in my life is for marriage and intimacy. I pray that one day I will be brave enough to overcome that fear. God bless!
Well done. We are all out there. Those little brave souls……….not knowing that anybody else is even coming to the battle. Thanks for sharing, for showing that we are NOT alone. It does feel alone sometimes….even in the sunshine. Go us!
Thank you, have made a giant choice to move into a van for a year and it is happening on friday. The van is not ready and the storage for our bits and pieces we will need after is currently open to the air. I have hardly packed because until last friday we had two extra teenagers in our house for 6 weeks. Oh and the van has just had a prang. God seams to be paving the way in so many ways but I am finding it particulary tough today. Your post was such an encouraging message from God. thank you.
Great post!
I have stepped out in faith a couple times in my life. First by going on-line dating. It was scary at first and then I put up my moniker, your bio and some stuff about you so others can view it. Going on blind dates was nerve racking, but it all paid off in the end when God brought me this wonderful man! We’ve been married almost 9 years.
The second “leap of faith” for me was to get in front of people and do sign language to music. I don’t like being in front of crowds with people watching me. I was asked at church to do sign language to music for special music on occasions. I bravely said yes. It is getting easier the more I do it, but still nerve racking each time.
Bless you, Heather, for this word today. And bless you in your steps of bravery. So good to remember God’s call to not be disheartened, but to be courageous. Daily courage — the one foot in front of the other, by God’s power kind. Thank you. I needed this.
This was great. Just a continued affirmation of what I need to do. It’s difficult, especially when you’re over 60. Somehow over the years my ability and willingness to take risks has been continually disappearing. I worked beside my fiance who was a painting contractor in the late 60’s. After we were married we went to Bible school and had our first baby the day my husband started his first years classes. 4 years and 2 more babies later I accepted the fact that God wanted me to be a stay-at-home wife and mom(every time I looked for a job I got pregnant, irregardless of birth control methods!) We moved cross country leaving our families behind to follow where God was leading to a church in WA. I look back and wonder where that adventuresome woman went. Now I’m 60 and I want to be that courageous woman again–or maybe I should say anew. Thanks for the encouragement! I’ve been considering writing–my family is constantly encouraging me to do so–but I’ve been afraid. I’m printing this post and putting it everywhere. Thanks again!
Thanks so much for sharing this so eloquently. I am brave. I have been brave before. Everyday actually in so many different ways. However, I forget that I am brave. We have been wanting to adopt a 3rd child for the last two years and every time we are about to move forward with paperwork, workshops, something just comes out of nowhere and pushes us back a bit. Its hard not to get discouraged. The biggest obstacle now is aging parents and my mom has been diagnosed with dementia. I have two small children (also adopted) and am a stay-at-home mom and live an hour away (on no traffic times). With 5 siblings who don’t all get along and haven’t grown past their baggage, and a sociopath for a father (with his own ailments) who is incapable of caring for my mother, everyday has been a struggle to move forward. Its hard to know when to quit. Perhaps we’re not supposed to grow our family in this way. ? Yet everyday, somehow, I am renewed by my simple faith….”to see what is on the other side of that fear.” Just when I’m about to allow myself defeat…I come across a word of hope. I am thankful for your words and for the reminder that” faith in God trumps fear. Every time!” Brave I shall be.
At this time of our lives when my husband Dave is dying for Oesophageal cancer, a little bit of him leaves me every day. I am v afraid but know I should not be but I can’t help the hurt that I feel in losing him this way or any way and wondering what is on the other side. I have Lupus as well which has been active for over 18mths and wearing me down so it is difficult to fight 2 fights, yet I know God has given me whatever it is that I need to lift us up.
Thank you for putting this in words, Heather,
Meg from Oz
For the longest time I felt to be active, going more, trying new things and places; were examples of bravery. After I became ill, I found another description, being still requires bravery. To face daily repetition of the same old thing requires courage, to keep faith in the mundane. Adventures can take on a new meaning; adventure in being still and enduring daily the same walls, ceilings and duties. God can provide adventures through His Word and other vicarious methods, books, visit from others.
Activity does not always suggest accomplishments, sometimes being still would require more of us, and more from us. Health is something so many do not realize the blessing of until it is taken away; I did not. It requires bravery for the healthy active person to be still when visiting the ill and homebound. So many find it boring and will not take on such visits and do not see it as being brave, but many caregivers will tell you it take courage to subdue the fleshly desires for adventure instead of being still. A new frontier, visiting the shut-in, home bound or in nursing homes. We need to understand the bravery of the call to “true religion” as stated in the Book of James, the needy and the ill. May we all be blessed with such.
This really resonated with me today. Thank you!
Wow! This really spoke to me and where I’m at in life. Blessings!
Thank you for this post! I’m currently facing my own personal challenges and what you wrote really hit home for me. What you said about, “a refusal to step in faith, because of fear, would have DENIED me great blessing and purpose in my life,” Reminded me that when I took on challenges that I thought seemed impossible and in the process acknowledge and praised God for His Blessing.. He always came through everytime. I didn’t realize that I was also being brave in addition to having faith. I’m facing my fear of doing a test for the 3rd time and for sometime now been feeling discouraged.. This just confirmed my faith and courage in God that I was meant to do this test and be what He wanted me to be.. God has put this in front of me to bless me and I would be foolish not to take it on and receive what he has for me, my family, and our future. I know God has been faithful before in my life and He is will always be faithful from here on out. I know I’ll PASS this test in Jesus’s Name! It’s funny because when it comes to posting things like this, I’m very reserved about it.. But it is my first post in any blog spot ever! I feel the courage of God coming along and I can’t deny it! I love it! Thank you for your words of wisdom, insight, and being a true blessing! Much love. God bless!