Brave

Have you seen the Academy Award nominated film for Best picture, 127 Hours? It’s about the harrowing true story of rock climber Aron Ralston who was trapped by a boulder in Canyonlands National Park in Utah. After days of dehydration and fearing he would die trapped in a crevasse, Aron was forced to amputate his lower right arm in order to free himself. Sorry to ruin it for you?

What about you, have you ever feared for your life?
Speaking of Utah, although far less dramatic than Aron’s experience, many years ago a friend and I grabbed our backpacks and went hitchhiking around the US for a few months. (Hey Rod, if you see this post please Facebook me and we’ll compare notes!)

We were stranded for six hour in Vernal, Utah and believe me, that was not a place to be stranded back then, especially when you had extremely long hair in cowboy country. But finally, a truck pulled up.
We looked at the men in the truck and nervously thought, “They look drunk, but oh well it’s a ride.” So we climbed into the bed of their new fancy pick up truck.

The cowboys told us they made lots of money working on the, “Big ole oil rigs in Utah and Wyoming, that’s how we got the truck.”

For the next few hours we were purposely bounced around the bed of the truck and were almost thrown out a couple times. But we were getting very nervous.  They drove us to the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. They said they were going to throw us over the 500 foot reservoir like they had done with other worthless hippies like us.


With our hearts in our throats we thought are lives were definitely over. I can still remember the indescribable, helpless fear!

Fearing for your life for whatever reason is one thing, but risking your life for someone else is far different.  As Jesus said, there is no greater love we can demonstrate than laying down our life for someone else.


When the poor Jewish orphan girl Esther was growing up she never thought she would win a beauty pageant and of all things, become the Queen of all Persia! Life took a turn she did not expect.  King Xerxes thought he married a Barbie Doll to show off to everyone, but God had something else in mind. God had a divine plan for her that was far different from what she could have ever imagined.

Esther had an exquisite wardrobe, lots of jewelry and fancy stuff. Lots of stuff. Stuff she couldn’t pay for. She couldn’t say, “Honey I don’t have anything to wear?” In contrast, many of us don’t have what she had, but wish we did, although we won’t admit it.

“We are programmed to focus on what we don’t have, bombarded multiple times throughout the day with what we need to buy to make us sexier or at peace.” ­- Author Francis Chan

Maybe that’s what Anne Hathaway, co host of the Oscars, was thinking wearing seven different outfits in 3 hours!

Esther’s uncle Mordecai, told her about Haman’s, the King’s chief of staff, plan to kill all the Jews of Persia. Mordecai pleaded with her to beg her husband the King, for mercy for their people.  But in doing so, she could lose her own life. She was faced with the biggest decision of her life. What am I going to do now?

Mordecai challenged her.  Would her mission in life be centered on herself?  Would it be about her possessions, her beauty, about her position, about her desires? She could simply do what everybody else seems to do and look the other way and, “Say it’s really not my problem.”

But not this time!  Through Mordecai’s input she was able to listen to God and was going to be brave. “God, I’m not sure what you’re up to and how this is going to turn out for me, but I’m going to trust you anyway!”

After three days of prayer and fasting, right before she begs the King for mercy, she courageously tells her uncle “If I die, I die!”

Life or death which is it? Then her mind is completely blown! When she enters the room she hears the King’s Speech, and without stammering the king tells Esther that she can have anything she wants, even up to half his kingdom!


Did I hear that correctly? He must really be in a good mood. She’s somewhat speechless, but she’s smart too! So she invites the King and Haman to a big party and the King never turns down a party. So, let the party begin!


If you want to hear how the party turns out and a popular song that could have been sung at this party you’ll want to check out the next blog…