Step out into the Brave

Do you ever feel like your walk with Jesus is pretty radical? I mean, I'm sure we all do at some point or other, but I'm talking about getting down to the day to day interactions and feelings. I experienced that today. I had a not-fun chat with someone who is not a believer. Now I should clarify that I instigated this convo because this particular someone has been actively showing me that they're upset. Only I wasn't sure why or what exactly I had done. (Which is never a fun feeling, right?) Yesterday some things culminated into me going home last night with a knot in my stomach. (And the determination that I couldn't endure another day like that!)

Then I heard this song...

And it helped give me the brave I needed to take the opportunity that came today and just jump out! I didn't think twice, I'd been praying since yesterday that if the right opportunity came up, that God would help me see it and give me the courage to start the convo. He came through! (Of course. :) So when my chance came, I jumped in with two feet and my heart rate through the roof!

What I figured out? Is that as I am the believer in this friendship, I was going to have to be the one to take one for the team so to speak. They were never going to come to me about this, I had to go to them. This particular someone had a wall a mile wide and tall and thick as all get out. Everything I said felt like it was bouncing off. I struggled for the right words, I prayed frantically for the right words, and whether they came and I said them I'm still uncertain. (I have trouble getting words from my brain out of my mouth in coherent sentences.) But this one thing I know...

God was there.

Through every single bit of the hard conversation, I fully trust and believe He sat right beside me. Even as I heard things I didn't like, even as this particular someone shared the honest truth of the pain in their life (because I do believe the underlying basis for all that's going on is pain. Pain is a huge motivator, isn't it? It's one of the enemy's favorite weapons sadly.), even as I cried (of all things. I was really wishing my emotions weren't so near the surface!), and even as I ended the convo realizing that things weren't really going to change...and yet....

I changed! I felt very confident as I left the room that I had listened to the Spirit and chosen to act as He wanted. Even if things weren't solved, that was okay. I had responded to a situation in as Christ-like a manner as was possible and He had been there through it all.

So what is my point? (I do have one!)

A reminder to myself that, mistakes or no, listening to the Spirit can be as simple and easy as it was today. The conversation may not have been easy, but that moment when I knew my opportunity was there and I needed to grab hold, I ignored the elevated heart rate and the Fear, grabbed my Brave and stepped out.

And you know what? I think that's all God asks of us so much of the time. I can't fix this situation. I can do nothing to change this person or make them understand my heart. But God can. And He will. I just have to trust Him. He's the One who's going to make the situation better. All my own words will do nothing. But His words? His love? He can do anything! All he needs from me is my willingness to do whatever He asks.

Choose to Trust, step out into the Brave, and let God handle it.

How easy is that? :)