Be Brave Enough to be BOLD

We are not called to be meek.  We are called to be strong.  We are called to be courageous.  We are called to be BOLD!

Who remembers the original Mario World?   One goal in any round of the game was to make it to the end of the round.  The easiest and safest way to make it to the end of the round was to have Mario walk straight, never touch anything, and take no risks.  That worked well, but you received no points, had no fun, and accomplished nothing but extending the game to the next round.  We do this in our own lives.

We live in a world that values safety.   Like someone playing the safest possible game of Mario World, we avoid risks. We are meek if it means avoiding confrontation or bringing too much attention to ourselves.  We avoid fun that comes with any degree of risk.  We don’t aim high because it takes courage and comes with the very real possibility of failure.  We are Mario, traveling through a game safely just for the sake of extending our time and getting to the end.   Stop being boring safe Mario!  Be brave Mario!

When I played Mario World, I ran full speed, crashed into bricks, traveled the secret passage ways, and had a lot of fun!  I played a courageous and bold game.  Sure, sometimes I got hit by a turtle shell, or fell down a pipe into a dangerous sub-world that took a while to escape and occasionally I had to start all over again, but I’d get to the end just like the person who played it safe, and I learned a lot more, experienced more, and had a heck of a lot more fun than my friends that played it safe.

We aren’t called to live safe lives.  In fact, we are commanded to be bold:

Joshua 1:9 –

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

 

Proverbs 28:1 –

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” 

 

2 Corinthians 3:12 –

“Since we have Hope, we are very Brave.”

 

2 Timothy 1:7 –

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power,love and self-discipline.” 

 

Deuteronomy 31:6 –

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

I found 103 Bible verses that reference us being called to be bold and strong.  I found 0 that reference us being called to be meek and safe.  We are designed to be bold and our lives will be better when we embrace it.  Embrace boldness.

Be Brave Enough to be BOLD, and be BOLD enough to be yourself.