I wish I were braver, that simple things that others embrace didn’t cause this nervous lump to begin gnawing away at the inside of my stomach. 

I read a quote from Charles Stanley this morning — my daddy loved to listen to Dr. Stanley — that talks about how fear stifles us, creating “indecisiveness that results in stagnation.” 

Stagnant. 

That’s a great mental picture. I see still water with gunk and grime growing on the top, unfit for consumption, murky, gross, worthless. 

I don’t want to be stagnant. I want to be teeming with life rather than weighed down by gunk. And so I must begin to move, to stir my own waters, to decide to step forward, even in face of the fear. 

So, today I claim 2 Timothy 1:7: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” and I decide to be brave.