#10 Be Brave

I did Warrior Dash in 2013 and 2014 to raise money for St. Jude’s Research Hospital for children. You have to be brave to do some of the obstacles of this yearly 5K mud race.  I’m not that young anymore but I got the courage to run with my daughter and sister. I climbed ropes, slippery walls, crawled up muddy slopes, and jumped over and through fire.  Having my daughter and sister helped me to be brave and exercise courage.  I could never do something like this all by myself.

Psalm 56:9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day
when I call; This I know, that God is for me.

How can we be brave when there is so much that causes us to be afraid?  You might be afraid of the past catching up to you.  You might be afraid of what is currently going on in your life.  And what about the future?  It’s scary not knowing what the outcome will be when tomorrow becomes today. 

Moses told the people of Israel that he would not be able to cross the Jordan and go with them to the Promised Land.  Moses told them that God will go ahead of them and destroy those nations before them.  He tells them to “be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

Israel’s past was that they came from bondage in Egypt. At the present, they knew that with Moses’ guidance, they were going to freedom.  But impatience, slipping hope, loss of a vision, weariness, and the enemy’s blinding lies can cause doubt of the future, so Moses reassures them that God will be with them and Joshua will take the nation the rest of the way.

When I think about my past and present, I have seen God at work in some of my most difficult situations.  God walked with me during those dark days, where grief seemed almost hopeless in ending after my husband and mother died in the same summer. 

There are times that I wonder how I got through the first year.  I read my journal from those days and the words of desperation seem so unreal.  Was that really me?  God has been healing my grief.  I am not in that same place.  It was looking at the future that caused me to be anxious during that time.  All the questions I had asked God; what is going to happen to me?  How do I go on by myself? Who am I now that I am no longer a wife?

But like what Moses said to the people of Israel, “be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”

As the three year anniversary is coming upon me, I look back and realize that many times I was not courageous; I was not strong or brave.  I trembled at where I was and what I thought my future would be like.  As each day passed, each week, each month, I realized that God had walked with me. When I had been afraid, I prayed for God to let me feel His presence with me.  I searched His Word, I prayed, I talked to a Godly sister and I was reassured again.

After almost three years, I most assuredly know that I can run to the Lord with my concern and I know He’s there.  I have no doubt.  He is always there.  It’s not like God goes to the other side of the world and comes when I call.  God walks with me always.  I wake up and God is there.  I go to bed at night and He’s there. If there is trouble in my life, God is there.

In doing Warrior Dash, I saw it as how the troubles of this life resemble this race.  There are slippery slopes that cause us to feel that we are not going to make it.  There are high walls that seem almost impossible to climb.  There is fire that can burn away our faith.  I came in near the end of our group, but I made it.

I am a Princess Warrior

There are answers for my questions. What is going to happen to me?  God will grow me into a new woman.  He will fight for me when others try to take advantage of me in my vulnerable state.  God cares for the widow.  How will I go on by myself?  He has placed Godly women around me that pray for me, that share special moments with me, that point me back to the Father when I feel distressed.  Who am I now that I am no longer a wife?  I am a child of God. I always have been.  I am a vessel for God’s purposes and for His kingdom. I am a broken jar that is still useful for the Lord. I am a Princess Warrior that wears the Armor of God that helps me fight the daily battles of life.

I can be strong, in Christ.  I can have courage. I can know that I am not alone.  I never was.  I never will be. I can face tomorrow.  I can be brave. 

I can be brave. I am not alone.

 Where do we belong?  God has a place for us in this world.
Place In This World by Michael W. Smith