Flexing My Faith Muscle

Is bravery a learned trait?  I never stopped to consider this question until recently.  I was the child who was scared of the dark, and through my teenage years would beg my younger sister to accompany me up the stairs of my family’s spooky-at-night farmhouse with far too many windows.  It should come as no surprise that I don’t consider myself brave.  Our oldest son doesn’t fit the brave demographic either.  At six-years-old he is scared to ride at more than a snail’s pace on his bike.  We’re wondering if he’ll ever graduate from training wheels!  But Kenny and I found ourselves at the amusement park yesterday, standing in line for the Mind Eraser ride. This perfect circle would take us in a series of loops and leave us hanging upside down at the top of the loop.  At just 48” tall (the minimum height to ride), Kenny was by far the shortest and youngest in line.  The woman in front of us commented on Kenny’s bravery.  This comment made me think of a recent comment a fellow mom made about my bravery.  Could it be?  Could we chickens really have some bravery in us? 

I’ve always thought of the Bible heroes I learned about in Sunday School as innately brave; Daniel and the lion’s den, David and Goliath, Easter and the King of Persia, Mary and the Christmas story.  These people must have all been born with super-human levels of bravery to serve God in a way that still has us reading about them today, right?  I’m starting to question that premise.  These people had their faults and downfalls.  They, like us, were trying to make their way through difficult circumstances presented by an imperfect world.  There is no doubt they exhibited bravery, but I no longer think of them as being born with freakishly high levels of bravery.  Instead, I’m starting to see them as filled-to-the-brim with faith.  Their faith in God fueled their ability to be brave.  Their faith in God provided them the means to change the world. 

Could faith and therefore bravery be a muscle that can be strengthened upon exercise?  Having faith in God is the first step, which many of us have.  But having faith that could kill a giant or mother the Son of God doesn’t just happen.  It comes by exercising faith daily; by stretching to practice faith in a way that is new and makes us uncomfortable.  It’s not easy or comfortable, which is why the world isn’t filled with David’s and Mary’s.  But the thought that I could be a David or Mary is both encouraging and challenging.  God has a history of using the most ordinary of people to do extraordinary things.  That certainly makes me highly qualified, along with a few of youJ.  I better brush up on my slingshot skills!