Bravery — NOT Bravado
Bravado is (per Oxford Dictionary) “a bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate.” Bravery has been an emotion in my world many times. It takes bravery to live in tornado country. It takes bravery to stand alone. It takes bravery to walk into a crowded room filled with high profile individuals when you are NOT the outgoing type.
Being brave is an emotion that I truly believe is a God-attribute that He places inside of those who rely on Him during intimidating occasions and fear-filled moments like when a diagnosis isn’t positive.
Bravery and courage are central themes in many books and films we have grown up with. The lion in The Wizard of Oz follows the yellow brick road in search of it, J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy tale “The Lord of the Rings” is still one of the most inspirational fictional stories about bravery and shows how the smallest person can triumph when confronted with a seemingly unstoppable adversary.
Strong leaders have always been associated with bravery but never more than now. Having been a widow for 13 years, I knew I could wallow in self pity, but I chose to be a strong and determined widow. Maybe that is what attracted my now-husband to me.
Bravery is defined as courageous behavior and character. But, bravado is described as a bold manner intended to impress or intimidate. Bring on bravery and let’s avoid the bravado trap! How do we do that?
When “bravery” is our goal, then we will go ahead and show up afraid. That’s when the power of our Most High God infuses us with His ability, His authority, and His anointing. Sometimes we need to access bravery when we don’t feel brave and just go ahead and communicate with passion and conviction.
We aren’t born brave – or maybe we are, and circumstances of life bashes it out of us. Either way, being brave is a choice. It’s scary at times, requires energy, but it is rewarding too.
I know what it is to be brave, and I also know I can still feel fear. The pounding of my heart and the quickening of my breath. The spinning of the earth beneath my feet and the sense that I may be full out crazy to go through with what I’m about to do, like committing to a man I barely knew to be my husband. I dated Carl for only nine months before we married.
And as I think about this, I realize maybe I’ve misunderstood what brave feels like: I thought it was a roar and a lunge. But maybe it is a whisper and a trembling step. I thought it was loud and bold. Perhaps it’s quiet and almost invisible. I imagined it would mean the absence of insecurity. Yet I’m wondering now if it’s faith dancing the two-step with doubt.
If this is so, then what makes me act brave is also what scares me silly. This lets me breathe a sigh of relief. Because it means I don’t have to wait to be filled with confidence and courage before I can do anything, I can just show up anyway. If that’s so, then I have more courage than I thought. And more answers than I realized. So do you.