How to Be a Brave Girl

I have been reading Brave Girls 365-Day Devotional, and considering what it means to be brave in today’s world. I’m old. When I was 12-years old, bravery looked like riding my bike with bell bottoms on even though they could get caught in the spokes and send me crashing.

Now it’s so much deeper, scarier, and harder. Youth is getting lost in the frenzy of social media, bullying, hours of homework, and the media onslaught. So how does a young woman of today find that brave place inside herself to stand up and go against the flow?

I want to send a message of hope and encouragement to all of your daughters and friends who are facing the challenges of growing up in 2016.

So this is for you… all you beautiful young women trying so hard to figure it all out.

1. Stay grounded in God’s Word– Put Bible verses in your heart every morning before getting the day started. These will give you strength when faced with hard decisions. Just pick a verse, write it on a piece of paper and slip it in your purse or backpack to look at all day long.
2. Remember to breathe– When a difficult situation arises, be sure to step back and take a breath. Don’t react immediately, but give yourself time to think and pray. There’s rarely a need to act immediately and things will become clearer if you give it a little time.
3. Focus on your mentors– It’s tempting to think your friend’s advice is great, but she doesn’t have the life experience that your mentors do. Your mother, grandparents, teachers, friend’s mom — they all will have suggestions for you that have more depth and wisdom than what your friend thinks. Talk to them, listen, and gain wisdom.
4. Keep a vision– Make a picture in your mind of the kind of person you want to be. Do you want to be brave, kind, and someone who sticks up for the downtrodden? Keep that image at the front of your thoughts when you can’t decide whether to stand up or stay silent. BE who you want to be!
5. Forgive yourself– You will make mistakes sometimes. Don’t beat yourself up about your mistakes. Learn and move on. Mistakes are what shape you into who you will be so let them teach you lessons and not drag you down.
6. You’re not the only one– Sometimes it will feel like you are the only one feeling afraid to take a stand about something. You’re not. All of your friends, the mean kids, the smart kids, those who seem so confident… they’re all scared to do the right thing.

Being brave isn’t about not feeling afraid. It’s about doing what is right even though you are scared.

Look, it’s hard to be a young lady these days. You will feel tempted to gossip about someone you hear a rumor about. Think about that goal of who you want to be and stop yourself. You may worry that you’ll lose your position with your friends if you step out with a different opinion. Honestly, that might happen. But if you have the Bible in the front of your mind then you know that those kinds of friends are not who you should be fighting for. I promise it will be worth it, and you will become an amazing woman who builds others up instead of tearing them down.

And lastly, and this is important — never, EVER, wear bell bottom pants when you’re riding a bike.

See? Old ladies do have wisdom that your friends don’t.

Your Turn

What does bravery look like to you in today’s world? What wisdom would you pass on to young girls in 2016? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!