Day Two

WHY BE BRAVE?

We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now.

—2 TIMOTHY 1:8–9 MSG

I got to travel to Honolulu, Hawaii, to speak at a conference. One afternoon I walked into the Kailua Starbucks to write for a bit and saw zero tables available. I didn’t really have a plan B for where to write, so I got in line for my drink anyway.

A table opened up between a vacationing couple and three tan and adorable surfer dudes. The surfers were talking about their marriages, so I tuned out because, ya know, they had wives already.

I began to unpack, and just because of proximity (the tables were close, y’all), I couldn’t help but check back into their conversation—and I heard them talking about absolute truth and how God is the only thing that is absolute, and suddenly I realized I was watching two of them share their stories of Jesus with the third.

My heart began to race. That conversation takes courage. Sharing your story takes guts.

I know. Maybe you think I’m being dramatic, but listen. That guy? Hearing how Jesus is the answer? His life is forever different and his future is forever altered because those two surfers were brave enough to say the things about Jesus that they know to be true.

Seeing other people be brave makes me want to be brave too. It’s a domino effect.

I felt it in me as I listened to them—the want to share my story. That’s why you’ll see rational adults going down a loopty-loop waterslide even if they don’t want to—because they want to show their kids it isn’t scary.

Seeing other people be brave makes me want to be brave too.

That’s why we have to start. That’s why we have to go first. That’s why we have to be brave—so that others will be inspired to be brave along with us.

We can be brave because we were always meant to be brave.

It is scary to be who you’re meant to be. It doesn’t feel easy because it’s not. But we were made for this. Like today’s scripture says, we have holy work. Why be brave? Because when we’re brave enough to share the God stories in our lives, it changes the people around us. It changes us to share them.

BE BRAVE: Think back on your day. Where can you see God working on your behalf? Or just showing up for you? Tell somebody.