Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Brave doesn’t always mean big

October 25, 2017 by Kristin 31 Comments

She told me she wanted to have it all together before she came to church. By “it” she meant her kids, her house, the job she desired but didn’t have yet, transportation, and a conflict. Sitting in the local pregnancy resource center’s counseling room together, I immediately told her God didn’t require us to get ourselves all together perfectly before we came into His presence.

We left that room and she shopped for some diapers, wipes, and clothes for her youngest two kids with the points she had compiled through the earn-while-you-learn program at Life House Care Center. I prayed for her, we continued chatting, and then I realized I was no different than her.

I try to pull myself together – at least for any onlookers – before I walk into church. I go to others before I go to Him. I try so hard to solve and the problem before I tell God about it. I worry about what’s to come before surrendering to His ways. I try to perfect myself while I also proclaim I trust the Author of my stories.

I’m in one of those seasons where God is doing a big new thing in my soul, but it’s taking a bunch of small, faithful steps to get there. Honestly, it’s brutal and beautiful at the same time.

Meanwhile, I’m being reminded through my time with God, the books I’m reading, and the songs I’m hearing that we don’t have to have it – whatever it is – all figured out to be used by our Creator. His strength truly is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

God rescues us and redeems our hard stories
so we can proclaim His faithfulness.

{Tweet that.}

We have to be willing to share our story so others can know God more deeply through our experiences. Of course, sometimes sharing our story looks like a heart-to-heart with your husband or confiding in a friend. Maybe it’s voxing a group of friends who get you. Or maybe it’s sitting on a couch in a counselor’s office and digging down deeply. Maybe you’re called to share from a stage, but more than likely we’re called to share as we go about daily life doing everyday things that testify to God’s faithfulness.

Being brave doesn’t mean performing in big lights.

Being brave may mean making a phone call for an appointment you’ve been dreading.

Being brave may require you to do normal life differently than you’ve always done it.

Being brave means closing our mouths long enough to hear from God and those we trust.

Being brave means speaking truth in love even when it’s hard.

Being brave isn’t easy.

But being brave will change us from the inside out.

*****

I have some songs on repeat in my house and my soul, so I put them together in a playlist that I’m sharing with you. I didn’t plan for this as I was gradually adding songs, but there’s a theme: God rescues. I also recently read Jamie Ivey’s coming-in-January book called “If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free” and am in the process of reading “Kill the Spider: Getting Rid of What’s Really Holding You Back” by Carlos Whittaker. These books echo what God’s teaching me, and I’m sure you’ll hear more about them. I’m grateful for the repetition and pray God continues to bring revelation to my life.

*****

Kristin Hill Taylor - Porch Stories
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Filed Under: Porch Stories Tagged With: books, faith, life, music

Comments

  1. Joanne Viola says

    October 25, 2017 at 6:22 am

    Kristin, this here spoke to my heart this morning > “more than likely we’re called to share as we go about daily life doing everyday things that testify to God’s faithfulness.” And that my friend, is brave!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 25, 2017 at 7:36 am

      I’m glad you, my friend, could be encouraged.

      Reply
  2. Michele Morin says

    October 25, 2017 at 7:17 am

    Thanks for sharing your heart from the midst of this new season of brave. It’s rough when we don’t know the outcome or when life doesn’t look like we imagined it would — but you’re so right in embracing it as an adventure.
    (And the picture was perfect for this post!)

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 25, 2017 at 7:36 am

      Thanks for being here and encouraging well, Michele! xo

      Reply
  3. Debbie Putman says

    October 25, 2017 at 7:43 am

    Kristin, love connecting here as well as SOAP girls with Lyli Dunbar! It’s encouraging to be reminded that brave is small steps, everyday actions, and attitudes that bring us closer to Christ because we rely on HIm and let Him change us from the inside out.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 25, 2017 at 8:00 am

      It’s so amazing that what I’m learning in life right now is also what God is teaching me in these first few days of the Philippians study. He knows I need repetition. 🙂 I’m glad you’re here, Debbie!

      Reply
  4. Jennie says

    October 25, 2017 at 8:00 am

    Your words so resonate with me and I love your being brave list!!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 25, 2017 at 8:05 am

      Thanks, friend! I’m glad you were encouraged.

      Reply
  5. Maree Dee says

    October 25, 2017 at 9:25 am

    Absolutely, It is the small steps of faith that get us where we need to be. Being brave with a little thing first is what gets you started. This concept was so hard for me to understand and apply. Honestly, I still struggle. But with the journey, we have taken I have had to learn small is HUGE and to be celebrated.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 26, 2017 at 7:28 am

      Yes, bravery is worth celebrating! I get the feeling this is one of those lessons I’m going to continually have to come back to because of my stubborn heart. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Lisa notes says

    October 25, 2017 at 10:36 am

    Bravery is not one of my strong points. So I love reading posts like this. You encourage me to do the small things and count them as bravery. I can do that! Thanks, Kristin. “We don’t have to have it – whatever it is – all figured out to be used by our Creator. His strength truly is made perfect in our weakness.” Amen.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 26, 2017 at 7:27 am

      Yes, those small things totally count, and in God’s economy they add up to big things. I’m glad you found some hope here, Lisa!

      Reply
  7. Jennifer says

    October 25, 2017 at 11:00 am

    Truly needing to have more courage – and praying it will, indeed, change me from the inside out! This post was very helpful this morning!!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 26, 2017 at 7:26 am

      I’m so glad you could be encouraged here, Jennifer! May God continue to give you courage and peace.

      Reply
  8. Tara says

    October 25, 2017 at 11:17 am

    Love this! Brutifal–Brutal and Beautiful all at the same time.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 26, 2017 at 7:26 am

      Yes, that’s exactly right.

      Reply
  9. sue says

    October 25, 2017 at 12:22 pm

    my pastor said: trusting God is going ahead while afraid.
    I love your small steps equaling a big brave. thanks, kristin – for hosting and blessing.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 26, 2017 at 7:24 am

      Thanks for sharing that and being here, Sue!

      Reply
  10. Katie | My Joy in Chaos says

    October 25, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    God is repeating the same messages to me lately as well! I keep ignoring the small steps because I’m eager for more but He keeps reminding me that the smaller steps are what’s needed for bigger things to happen. Thanks for sharing

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 26, 2017 at 7:24 am

      Yes, God does big things with small faithfulness, that’s for sure! Sometimes it’s hard to remember that and keep doing the small. Glad you’re here, Katie!

      Reply
  11. Emily Wood says

    October 25, 2017 at 5:13 pm

    Kristin, I wish you and I could sit over a cup of coffee and just talk. I feel like you and I would have so much to talk about. I can totally relate with this post.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 26, 2017 at 7:19 am

      I’d like that too, Emily! And, yes, I get the feeling we’d have plenty to share.

      Reply
  12. Laura Rath says

    October 26, 2017 at 6:00 am

    Love this! “But being brave will change us from the inside out.”

    I’ve been writing about being brave too, and I love how there are so many ideas behind the same topic. 🙂

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 26, 2017 at 7:19 am

      I’ll have to go read some of your brave, Laura! Thanks for being here today.

      Reply
  13. Barbara H. says

    October 26, 2017 at 9:36 am

    This is my first time here! I followed a link here from Lisa’s post. I’m not naturally brave, either, and it takes a dose of bravery for even small steps sometimes. But God grants it, and if we come to a “big” thing to deal with, God will grant grace for that, too, when the time comes. Love this: “Maybe you’re called to share from a stage, but more than likely we’re called to share as we go about daily life doing everyday things that testify to God’s faithfulness.”

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 26, 2017 at 10:38 am

      Welcome, Barbara! I’m glad you ended up here. 🙂 You’re right that God provides what we need for the big and small steps in life.

      Reply
  14. Neca | The GreatBIG Life says

    October 26, 2017 at 1:07 pm

    Hi Kristin! I love the theme of this post…that being brave to one person can mean something differently to someone else. God is so intentional that He can use what might looks like a small step to us to be a courageous thing to others. Thanks for sharing…beautifully written!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      October 27, 2017 at 8:29 am

      Hi, Neca – Thanks for your kind comment. I’m glad you could be encouraged here.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Create More Finish Lines {Mark the Moment Series, #3} says:
    October 25, 2017 at 7:13 am

    […] with Kristin, […]

    Reply
  2. sanctified & broken says:
    December 20, 2017 at 6:01 am

    […] and forth from all the goodness in my life to how I always see room for improvement. And I’ve felt brave for doing this hard […]

    Reply
  3. Living rescued says:
    January 3, 2018 at 6:00 am

    […] rescued goes along with some previous posts I’ve shared here: Brave doesn’t always mean big. Sanctified & […]

    Reply

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness 🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness has walked beside me / The winter storms made way for spring / In every season, from where I'm standing / I see the evidence of Your goodness / All over my life … 🎶 @joshbaldwin in “Evidence”

I love summer. But my summer has started off busy: appointments, book edits deadline, establish new habits with the kids at home. All that’s necessary and good, it just cuts into my down time beside the pool. 

Today we have two open gyms for our basketball players, my book study with a few friends, a new weekly high school girls’ book study at our house, and a monthly dad-son character study. 

I long for a little more white space on the calendar, but I also wouldn’t change a thing because the kids are only 16, 13, and 7 once. This summer will only be this summer once. And I’ve already learned time flies with big kids. 

So here we are finding out footing, singing praises with church friends on our porch, grilling delicious chicken, and squeezing in the wide-open spaces when we can. This is evidence of the good stuff. 

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The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat ha The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat has become a favorite tradition to kick off summer! The weather was perfect and everyone enjoyed one another. 

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