The Courage to do Hard Things

I love John 16:33 "Take Heart for I have Overcome the World". I have these words on a poster directly above my bed, and they're the first thing I see when I open my eyes. In one of my favorite books, Levi Lusko transformed this verse for me:

"It's interesting that [John] writes Take Heart, because heart is also translated as courageousness. So he is saying Take Courage. We generally think of courage as an emotion or attribute that you either have or don't. Not so. Jesus' command is for you to take it from His hand--as much as you need" (Levi Lusko). 

I've come up with a definition for bravery recently. Bravery is having the courage to do hard things. It can be letting Jesus pick you back up even though you've fallen a million and one times. Being on the outside who you are on the inside. Choosing to believe who Jesus says you are even when everything in you feels the opposite. Getting out of bed and doing something with your life, even when you have no energy. Deciding to trust God when your future is uncertain. Choosing to see what God says is there instead of what you see in front of you. Showing your flaws and scars, because there's a difference between a wound and a scars (a scar is healed and in fact made up of STRONGER tissue than before the injury), and there is ever so much grace. 

These hard things differ for everyone. Whatever they may be however, we cannot do them on our own. We can't muster up enough courage on our own. To have courage, we must take courage, take heart. Jesus is standing with His palms wide open, holding all the courage we'll ever need, and all we have to do is take it. 

So let's take it. Let's take heart and take courage. Let's be a brave generation full of world changers.