After listening to me freak out for an afternoon (off and on mind you) when I was on my way out the door, my sister says “You’re doing great. And remember life is not an emergency.” It is so easy to get into crazy mommy mode trying to do all the things, control all the behaviors, and pull every little action of my own out for closer inspection (often with the refrain: I could have done better, floating through my mind). 

That is how I often end up in the buzz of things: bowling past and over and through moments and emotions just to get to the other side. I made it through the day. sigh. apply ice cream. emergency averted. 

Not an emergency. just life. 

The phrase was freeing, but also made me pause.

It feels like a brave thing to sit down and say that life is not an emergency. To release the death grip of control and anxiety just enough to admit that these little things are not life threatening even if culture or our own minds are constantly telling us we need to be freaking out over something. Or ALL the things. 

We get to choose what’s meaningful to us. 

And somehow that’s brave.

“We need courage to make the everyday choices that become the compilation of who we are, what we value, and how we love.”

– Nicole Unice, Brave Enough

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In Brave Enough, Nicole Unice presents a scripture-laced outline for being brave and how we are to be brave. She challenges us to be brave enough instead of just good enough; brave enough to be bold, to be confront, to live as ourselves, to live grace, to follow God freely. 

“Many of us are settling for good enough when God is looking for brave enough.” p.57

This book read more like a bible study and honestly I find myself skimming when there are so many bible passages in a book. The chapter titles give a decent outline: Brave Enough Women: Get in the Race, Embrace Spirtual Survival Skils, Love Grace, Give Grace, Don’t Fear a Fight, Explore Their Territory, and Know Their limits.

And quotes I appreciated:

• Brave is not the same as striving. “This love, Jesus-love, is completely different. His sacrifice paves the way for us – not to work harder, but to be free.” p.25
• Bible study and worship and prayer are mainstays: “Worship is powerful because it lifts us out of ourselves.” p. 38
• “Fear keeps us stuck and small.” p.57
• “Grace requires all of Jesus and none of us.”p.68
• Don’t be afraid of conflict, it might stem from hope for better. “Facing anger – and the hurts it stems from – takes great courage. Augustine once said, “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not have to remain as they are.” p.78
• “Sometimes the things that are hard for us instruct us about who we are really made to be.” p.145

I didn’t mind reading this book, but didn’t love it. The flow was just too much study, not enough story for my taste. Though I did love the emphasis on grace. 3.5/5 stars. 

(I recieved a copy of this book from Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for an honest review.)

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