False bravado

Surely He scorns the scornful,
     but gives grace to the humble.
- Proverbs 3:34


There are people who act brave and strong
     ... but only in groups
     ... but only towards those who can't or won't fight back

There are people who talk loud and confident
     ... about things they know are lies
     ... about others' faults, instead of facing their own

May you find strength to do what's really brave
     ... to be honest to admit what you have done wrong
     ... to be true to what you know is right
     ... to endure hardship, humiliation, isolation
     ... to take the high road rather than the easy life.

Jesus died on the cross, not because He was weak
     but because He can handle the lies, the pain, and death itself
     all the way to Resurrection Day

May you find real strength when you lean on Him.


For I do not do the good I want,
but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
Now if I do what I do not want,
it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
- Romans 7:19-20, 24-25