Dare to be Brave

Good morning!

Have you ever been afraid to go against the grain of others?  To feel like you are the only one headed north while everyone else is going south?  I know I have.

I have been scared to go a different way, to do a different thing than what others around me were doing.  It’s really hard to step out and then to stand firm on something that we feel passionate about, something that we sense God asking of us, something that looks different from maybe what we thought or different from everyone else.

It is hard to go against the “norm” of what everyone else is doing, whether that is

• raising our children
• climbing the corporate ladder
• addressing medical needs
• cultivating our relationships
• how we spend our time (activities/lifestyle/sports/etc)
• the list is endless!!

But I want to tell you that as hard as it can be, standing firm on what God has for us is the very best place to stand.  And the decisions we make after seeking God’s counsel are probably the best ones.  It says in Isaiah 30:21:

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

This is the only voice that we really need to be listening for… not everyone else’s.

I was reminded the other day while I was reading through the story of David that over and over again he was not the “norm”.  He was the youngest, the smallest, the one who tended the sheep; not a warrior like his brothers.  Yet, God used him to defeat the giant threatening Israel’s army.  And he didn’t do it the “normal” way…David took a sling and a stone into a sword fight.

So let’s stand firm on what God has for us, even if it looks different.  The best place that we can stand is the one He has paved for us.

Blessings,

The Johnstons