brave enough

a commonly sung birthday song the children in my church sing goes like this:
"another year older and wiser, too; happy birthday to you!"


well... i disagree with part of that ---
my roommates have all agreed to support me in my denial of aging.
i'll stay the same age for another year :)

as i look back on this last year of my life and the experiences that have made me that "wiser" person, it amazes me how much one can change in the course of a year. time is such a funny thing. we wish for it to stand still or go faster or rewind. but no matter how fervently we wish, time marches on at a steady pace and we have no choice but to follow along.



for my birthday my wonderful roommates gave me my new favorite movie: "brave."
have you seen it? if not, go here for a little glimpse at why it might be a fun one to watch.


at the end of the movie, these are princess merida's last words:
"there are those who say fate is something beyond our command. that destiny is not our own, but i know better. our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it."


at times i have felt my life was out of my control -- that those things being acted upon me were of greater power and consequence than my own ability to act. yet in those moments i am among those who refuse to take responsibility and instead "blame the witch" for the predicament at hand. what good does that do?

absolutely none.

my fate - my potential for growth and greatness - lies within me, dormant until i actually seek it out and nurture it. my ability to remove myself from unhealthy or negative situations and circumstances must be cultivated, then utilized.



as john taylor once said:
"are we not the framers of our own destiny? are we not the arbitrators of our fate? . . . it is our privilege to determine our own exaltation or degradation; it is our privilege to determine our own happiness or misery in the world to come."




this last year there have been times when i have been brave enough to keep going along a difficult path. i was brave enough to charge head-first into fears and receive whatever outcome was waiting. i have been brave enough to stretch myself with new experiences.

have i been as brave as i could be?

no!

but this is how we get wiser with each passing year.
i am determined to be braver this coming year than the one before.
i will take advantage of the wisdom i've gained thus far and build upon it.

life is to be lived.
are you brave enough?

am i?

...i'm still figuring that out.