Bare to be Brave

The dreaded middle school gym class.  The first time kids are required to change into and out of gym clothes........with all the other girls.  It can be an anxiety nightmare.  Insecurities bubble to the surface, fears morph into monsters, acceptance by our peers is on the line, assumed judgement awaits, and the playground of our imagination takes us to the scary worst-case-scenarios.

A few months ago Jillian stood at this crossroad with her 6th grade peers.  The girls locker room provided a number of privacy walls and curtains for girls to change behind, but the number of girls outnumbered these areas.  Sort of like the rescue rafts vs Titanic passengers.  Only a handful of girls could be rescued from changing with all the other girls.

The night before Jillian's next gym class, Mama and daughter cuddled up and dove into these fearful waters together.  What if they tease me?  What if I'm the only one?  What if all the private places are taken?  Mama realized the anxiety of trying to find a private changing place every class was going to be far greater than the anxiety of simply being brave and changing in the open space.

So I spoke courage into my girl.  Be brave.  Be the only one.  Bravery is contagious and it won't take long before you're not the only one.  Instead of praying for the Lord to provide a private area for Jillian to change, we prayed for the Lord to help Jillian be brave and confident in who she is.  Beautiful and strong.  Bare your bravery and you just may breathe confidence into another girl struggling too.

Of course, sometimes we also need a practical plan to compliment our bravery.  A quick trip to Target and Jillian was set.  She was now equipped with a large supply of undergarments that would ensure she only needed to change her shirt and shorts every gym class .  Baby steps to baring bravery.

As I prayed for Jillian the next day, I couldn't help but smile.  She was tackling something this Mama rarely has been able to pull off.  Being me, whether its accepted or criticized.  No matter what the outcome, I was so proud of my girl for choosing bravery over fear.

As soon as Jillian climbed into the van after school, I asked how gym class went.  Her face beamed with a smile and she said, "I did it Mom!"  "I was brave and the other girls saw that."  "I was pretty much the only one to change in the open area."  "But it was ok, we all have the same parts, just in different shapes and sizes."

Oh, my sweet child!  If you can hang on to and keep claiming that bravery, you will go far!  There is so much beauty in being the you Jesus designed.......