Born this way...

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong
 
Bravery...when you hear that word, what do you think of?
I was recently asked this question in an email form. I had signed up to be apart of a movement, called the "Born this Way Foundation", and it is reflective of Lady Gaga. Now I must let you know that I am not a big fan of Gaga but she does have some great messages. The whole idea of this movement is to empower youth, and essentially to eliminated the bullying that happens on a daily basis in our world.
 
So I joined the movement, and I was asked what bravery meant to me, and I thought for a long while about what bravery truly meant to me. At first I wanted to say something that totally related to the Lady Gaga theme, and the whole "born this way" idea, but in the end I really couldn't think of the cookie cutter answer....
I came up with this:
When I think of bravery, I think of Jesus. I think of all the things he did for us in this world. I think of how he wore a crown of thorns, and how he willingly was nailed to the cross to take our sins and die for us.
When I think of bravery, I think of the many people who fight for our freedom. I think of the many Canadian soldiers who are fighting across seas right now for our country.

When I think of bravery, I think of all the people who are willing to stand up for who they are. I think of the people who are bullied on a daily basis simply because they are different, or because they don't fit in.

When I think of bravery, I think of the people who do the most outstanding things in life. The people who aren't scared to die for others; the people who aren't scared to stand up for what they believe in; the people who aren't scared to be who they are; the people who aren't scared to fight for others; the people who aren't scared to be humble, loving, patient and kind;

When I think of bravery, I think of the person who I want to become.
I am 20 years old and I want to become brave, because I was born this way

And you know, after I wrote this and submitted it, it became clear that there really wasn't a right or wrong answer for what bravery means. I didn't have to come up with the most cookie cutter answer because ideally it is reflective of what the movement speaks of...

Ya sure, being brave is a big thing to people, and it usually consists of going to the doctors and being brave by getting your needles, or standing in front of a class and saying a speech...but you know, like I said I don't think there is a distinct answer for what bravery is. I think if you feel as though you were brave, and as though what you are doing is good enough, then that's the right answer.

so what does bravery mean to you?

I want to share a video with you guys. It's called "it gets better" and it's sung by a whole bunch of broadway stars. Basically they sing this song for the LGBTIQ community, and I think it's great. I think every single person that is apart of that community is brave because they are willing to stand up for who they are, they aren't ashamed of who they are, and I think that's admirable. I really love this song because it really just shows how many people care about others in this world, and I just love that!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeKI8biAglU