You Make Me Brave

Our little A had just turned one month old and the holidays were upon us. I love the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas in particular. The fun and 'magic' of this time of year makes me so happy and I want the same thing for my kids! So one Saturday there was a Christmas parade happening in downtown Raleigh, I knew I wanted to take the kids. The problem was, Nathaniel had to work that day and I would be doing it alone. Well, we didn't get there on time, probably about twenty or thirty minutes late, but it wasn't a big deal because the parade would be 2 hours long! I loaded the two older kids into our stroller and put the baby in my ring sling. It was a bit of a load to push up the hill and through the crowds to the parade but we did it! A nice mom had her kids scootch over so mine could sit on the curb as well. I was standing but that suited fine so I could keep an eye on everything.

The parade was almost done and as it was finishing the sweet mom in front of me chatted a little and then said, "You are so brave! My baby is older than yours and I was too nervous to bring him. I left him home with his dad."
It struck me as odd that she would call ME brave. I brushed it off saying I couldn't leave the baby home since she is breastfed and her dad was working anyway, then thanked her for giving my kids a spot to sit. She was such a nice lady. As I packed the kids up to start the daunting task of fighting the crowds going back to their cars, another man with his kids and wife who had been sitting next to us, also said how brave he thought I was! I said, "You do what you've got to do, you know?" But it blew me away!
I thought, these are my kids! Who else would take them? If I can't do it, who can? What about all the single moms? (For whom I have GREAT respect, let me tell you!) Whenever I need to do something that feels like a large task, or something I'm not ready for, or something that seems really difficult, I automatically think of someone who has it worse than I do. Some women would LOVE to have three kids but have trouble conceiving. Some moms don't have a car to get where they need to go... and so on. But I never thought of myself as brave. I don't think I ever have.
This has rattled around in my brain for a while these past couple of weeks. What does it mean to be brave? I looked up the definition and this is what I found:

Brave: Feeling or showing no fear : Not afraid
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brave

So it would end up, that I actually AM brave and I just never knew it! That day instead of dwelling on how difficult it would be, I just did it. Loaded my three kids into the car by myself, buckled them all in, drove there with a newborn who is not a fan of being in the car, found a parking spot in the craziness of all the people going to the parade, got them all to the parade and navigated around the crowd with my large stroller and a baby attached to me, and watched the parade. Instead of being afraid, I just did it. I kept a close eye on my kids to make sure I didn't lose them among the thousands of people there, I kept an eye on the stroller to make sure nobody stole our stuff, I took pictures of the parade to record the moment, and nursed my one month old, standing up with her in the sling. (What would I do if I didn't have a ring sling?!) Yes, before I left I almost ditched the idea of going at all. I was tired and it made me nervous to think of doing it by myself. But the kids loved it. They sat through that whole parade, with out fussing and it was all worth it. You do what you've got to do. I couldn't let the kids see how nervous I was. And I knew that really, I wasn't alone because God says, "Fear not! For I am with you!" (Isaiah 41:10). It is much easier to show no fear, or have no fear and be brave, when you have an all powerful God on your side. Yes! I still got flustered, I may have had a few moments of mom fail that day, like baby A peeing through all of her clothes and onto me, but it all worked out well in the end.
YOU are brave. If you are someone who feels fear just at the thought of going out in public, but you do it anyway, you are brave! If making a new friend or opening up to someone new scares the daylights out of you, but you do it anyway, YOU are brave! Do you see what I'm getting at here? The brave ones are not only people who have done amazing thing like David facing Goliath or, Daniel standing up for his beliefs knowing he would end up in the lions den. The brave ones are the people who face things that scare them, that make them nervous, and they do it anyway. They show no fear. Maybe someone else doesn't have that same fear, but they have another fear they have to face. It touched me to hear these other people giving me encouragement. The fact that I was brave in something that I thought shouldn't be a big deal (even though to me it was), and maybe helped another person be brave, is exciting. We can inspire others to face their fears,
Be an inspiration! And if you are still struggling, remember that if you ask him to be, God will be with you. As I write this a song is in my heart because it is so right for this moment.

You Make Me Brave by Amanda Cook; Bethel Music

I stand before You now
The greatness of your renown
I have heard of the majesty and wonder of you
King of Heaven, in humility, I bow

As Your love, in wave after wave
Crashes over me, crashes over me
For You are for us
You are not against us
Champion of Heaven
You made a way for all to enter in

I have heard You calling my name
I have heard the song of love that You sing
So I will let You draw me out beyond the shore
Into Your grace
Your grace

You make me brave
You make me brave
You call me out beyond the shore into the waves
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now the love that made a way

You make me brave
You make me brave
You call me out beyond the shore into the waves
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now the promises you made
You make me brave
You make me brave
You call me out beyond the shore into the waves

You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now the promises you made

Read more: Bethel Music - You Make Me Brave Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

You Make Me Brave: Youtube video

God can make us brave, the love for your children or someone close to you, can make you brave.
YOU are brave.