Even Still, We are Bold

After the Paris terrorist attacks in November, Bob Goff tweeted,

“We’re incredibly sad, but we’re not afraid.”

I had been scrolling through tweet after tweet of fear-inciting information before I came across his wisdom. Picture after picture of incredible brokenness and uncertainty.

I realized that I was afraid.

And I still am, truthfully.

You can catch some anxiety, too, if you’d like. All you have to do is turn on the news.

Belgium. School shootings. Syria.

The tornado that had us hunkered down in the closet last night.

Each story plants a seed of fear and doubt. Each story has us wringing our hands, wondering how we keep living life in such a scary world.

I don’t consider myself a particularly fearful person, but I might be carrying around more anxiety than I realize.

I fear religious extremists. I fear school shootings. I fear bullies. I fear raising my children on this planet. I fear simply trying to raise children.

Maybe it’s not even that severe.

Because I also fear being cornered by an overzealous multilevel marketing business partner. I fear that my kids will eat a Tide Pod. I fear my shampoo. (Have you seen the deadly toxins in there just waiting to murder you in the shower?)

It’s easy to live in fear. Our culture breeds it.

And then I remember these 7 profound words:

“We’re incredibly sad, but we’re not afraid.”

No amount of suicide bombers or cartoonish presidential candidates should throw us off our game. No terrorist attack or Facebook alarmists. No tornadoes or toxins.

The world has always been broken. Always has been, always will be. (Until Jesus comes back, anyway.) We do a disservice to ourselves when we pretend otherwise.

For Christians, this is where the rubber meets the road. We go every week to worship a God who – we claim – is big. Who is good. Who has overcome death.

Do we believe it?

…do I believe it?

Is He…bigger than a news story? Bigger than a candidate you don’t agree with? Bigger than a “If you’ve ever done any of these 5 things, your kids are ruined” blog post? Bigger than evil?

As our house gears up for Easter celebrations, I find myself overwhelmed with the urgency to teach my boys how to be bold. I feel the burden of making our home a boldness charging station.

Because if we truly believe the Easter story – that God actually defeated death – then my.actual.goodness. we have nothing to fear. There’s no excuse not to be bold. Bold in prayer, bold in faith, bold in our convictions, bold in our kindness, bold in our joy.

The moment we retreat; the moment we cower, Satan wins. Darkness wins.

“But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.” 
[Hebrews 10:39]

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do you not be discouraged, for the Lord your God goes with you wherever you go.”
[Joshua 1:9]

So, no. We won’t be shrinking back, thankyouverymuch. Not today.

Not when he or she wins the election, not when there is a bombing, not when that law is passed in our country, not when the American Academy of Pediatrics releases a new report about car seats exploding when installed improperly.

The next time I find fear worming its way in, I will regroup and recharge. I will make little, bold, daily decisions that bring tiny slices of heaven to earth.

I will throw a party for no reason and pay the tab on the table next to us at lunch. I will take my boys out on a late night date night and befriend people who don’t look like me. I will smile wider and encourage more. I will pray harder and fight for things I believe in.

And if and when all of that fails and the world is still going down the crapper, I will remember that we are not a people who fall apart. We do not shrink back.

No, we press on with boldness.

This is the indescribable, counter-cultural hope of Easter.