Living Brave in a Broken World

A new day awakens and I seek a few quiet minutes before I’m greeted with a good morning hello from my son. I savor the aroma of coffee brewing and eventually fill a mug. Pitter-patter scurries across the floor and the motherhood routine begins. Making breakfast, exchanging pajamas for daytime clothes, brushing teeth, and taming bed-head hair — it’s the flow that repeats each morning.

If I make it to the kitchen window early enough, I catch a glimpse of the sun rising and for a moment my heart rests still. It’s a gift from the Great Artist that never can be received too many times, and it reminds me Who is in control.

The reminder carriers me through the day, because beyond the walls of my home is a bigger world, and it’s no secret that our world is —

Hurting.

The day takes shape and eventually I read the headlines, I hear the breaking news, and I can only digest it from afar. Wet drops mix with rivers of tears – and it doesn’t make sense.

It takes brave to believe that God is still in control when pain is spinning all around. It takes brave to believe that He is still good and His plans are unfolding according to His perfect will. It takes brave to believe that love will always do more damage to the kingdom of darkness than getting caught up in arguments that only fuel the dark. It takes brave to believe that what will really make a positive difference, especially when the forecast is dim, is to shine light…

Because our broken world needs the Light.

There’s a whole lot of darkness, but we can shine light in a world that craves hope and healing for wounds that can only find relief in the Healer.

The headlines might be unsettling, but the Good News stands firm. His unchanging promises cannot be broken by changing circumstances, and the way we don’t lose heart is to cling to His promises.

His promises are meant to be shared, not kept silent out of fear. To be a Christ follower is to be a bringer of Good News, leading others to the King by reflecting His love.

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” ~Mark 16:15 (NLT)

There’s a song that usually plays in our home at least once a day. It’s from a children’s CD that my son enjoys, and the song is Romans 12:21 put to music: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The way to drown out the tune of gloom is to sing praises of love.

We can love because He first loved us.

And love conquers.

And love overcomes darkness.

And there is no fear in love. (1 John 4:18)

The Kings of Kings is still in control. In Him there is freedom, hope, peace that passes all understanding, and the promise of the something better we yearn for in the depths of our souls — because this is not it. This moment is fleeting and the events of tomorrow are a mystery to us, but this life journey is preparing us for His kingdom. We don’t need to know every detail. What we need is HIM, the One who takes the broken pieces and creates radiant beauty.

We can choose to live afraid or to live brave — to let the headlines pull us down or propel us forward to be a people who overcome evil by loving extravagantly. And I’m reminded of what Mother Teresa once said: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” 

My hands feel the warmth of coffee in a mug, light shines through the kitchen window, miracle child plays in the background, and I cling to hope, believing that whatever unfolds —

It’s a good day to live brave. It’s a good day to love.