I have a friend, Cindy.  And for YEARS….I KID YOU NOT.  She has been asking people (including me)  the question, “What would you do if you were brave?”  The question stems from the lyrics of Jana Stanfield.  The song?  “If I Were Brave”.    Cindy has signed for and been a part of Jana’s music outreach for years.

Well….today (to my friend Cindy)….I shall FINALLY answer that question you’ve asked me for years.  It isn’t an easy question to answer.  And over time, I have discovered that I am both more cowardly and more brave then I ever imagined. 

Recently I have taken steps to be as authentic as possible.  And the truth is that it has led to a lot of rejection.  Why?  My authenticity didn’t mesh with expectations others had of me.  (Sociologists refer to this as “SOCIETAL PRESSURE”) 

So I must preface this and state that with bravery comes rejection.  However, this is not the end all.  There are great rewards with bravery.  But if you are one who wants to be liked by everybody, then don’t plan on being brave.  I have discovered that the more brave you are, the more you will offend well meaning people.

So for today, here is my bravery list.  Hmmm…what would Angie do if she were brave?

• she would write poetry (as crazy and misunderstood as it might seem) with as much authenticity as possible
• she would choose her place of worship and worship according to her own beliefs
• she would vote according to her own convictions
• she would be authentic about her life with people who cared, asked, and were merciful
• she would follow her heart’s desire and perform in a musical
• she wouldn’t stress too much about not being perfect
• she would blog and update her status’ as authentically as possible while risking judgement and rejection
• she would love who she damn well wanted to love and minister to the same (transvestites, prisoners, criminals, addicts, backslidden, poor, emotionally disturbed and outcasts included to name a few).
• she would lovingly ignore those who have been dishonoring and demeaning  to her
• she would stand, sit, and sing at whatever volume she wanted to in church
• she would be-friend and associate with those who she felt God wanted her to even though many might not understand
• she would trust God to fulfill her desires, obey Him as much as possible and wait for His goodness
• she would serve with 110% of herself while making it known that she is not a doormat
• she would deal with things she hates such as bills, grocery shopping and cleaning
• she would try her best to give her kids the best she could offer even when it wasn’t acceptable in their eyes
• she would speak the truth even if it wasn’t popular
• she would forgive the past and move on
• she would CRANK her hip hop and rap….oh yeah……(among her other favorites but the hip hop and rap get the most flack)
• she would allow herself some slack for not always being on top of snail mail things such as birthday cards and thank you notes
• she would put others first and trust God for the rest
• she would wear whatever she felt like wearing in public
• she would, above all, operate in FREEDOM

Bravery is associated with freedom.  Let us not coward in fear………….