BRAVE: An Anthem

A few years ago, I posted a video of this dance, crafted by an incredible choreographer, Mia Michaels, that appeared on SYTYCD. This amazing, moving, jaw-dropping piece told the story of addiction. The song that Kayla and Kupono danced to was called "Gravity" by a singer/songwriter I was unfamiliar with until I saw that dance and heard that song. Her name is Sara Bareilles.

I shared the video on this blog because I was not long into Celebrate Recovery, and the entire experience--the song, the lyric, the dance, all of it--seemed to express how I felt in ways better than my words ever could about my journey in recovery and in growing ever closer to the Lord. It was one of those things where it was really a message straight from God, and I knew it. I have loved Sara Bareilles ever since. She's one of the best singer/songwriters, in my opinion, EVER.

There are just those times in life when a song is what gets you through, and anchors that time into your memory forever. When you hear it, it STOPS you in your tracks! It SPEAKS to you. It MOVES you. You MUST get that song and learn the lyric IMMEDIATELY, and you cannot do or say or think anything else until you do. Then you wear it OUT, playing it over and over and over and over again... And forevermore, when you hear that song, you will recall that time and that experience. As Trisha Yearwood sang, "The song remembers when."

Well, this week, the same thing happened with a song that was just released, and ironically enough, it's by Sara Bareilles. I was in Starbucks last week, and on the counter was her new CD. I made a note to come back and buy it (along with one of their salted caramel cake pops!). But I got busy and it slipped my mind. I didn't think about it again until my friend sent me this song yesterday. She posted it and made sure I'd see it. She had no idea who Sara Bareilles is, or that I love her and her music. She just heard the song and thought, Jen needs to hear this!

That was totally a God thing, because I DID need to hear it. Right then. As soon as I heard it, I had to literally pull the car over because I couldn't see through the tears! You know those moments when you KNOW God is speaking directly to you?!?!? I've been struggling terribly and painfully with something this year... A situation in which I was afraid for a long time to speak my mind or deal directly with what was in front of me, but this year God turned all of that around. I've had to keep my mouth shut, and my ears open, my heart connected and my spirit linked to Christ. It took a while, but finally everything came together and lined up and I knew exactly what God was saying to me. Jesus freed my mind from the maze it was in, freed my thoughts from gridlock--He set me FREE. AGAIN. I've felt in the last few weeks more freedom than I can even describe--and I didn't think that was possible! But it is! Truth is the most beautiful thing! Even when it's ugly.

It's been quite a journey. Incredibly painful. Mind-boggingly (is that a word?) real. But LIBERATING. As the truth always is. Now that I'm here in this place, I can't imagine how I stayed so long in that crazy spot. It's an exceptionally LONG story, and I'll probably blog about the things I've learned... But I'm not certain I'll ever be able to describe the highs and the lows of the roller coaster I have been on this year! And I wouldn't change a single thing.

So yesterday, when I heard this song... It floored me. Stopped me in my tracks. I knew from the first 2 lines in the song that this was a God thing! Another anthem for this time in my life... by one of my absolute favorite artists on the planet, delivered through my Pink Crayon, and given to me by God Himself. And just because God knows me well and how slow I can be to get a point, He drove the message home by putting Sara's new CD in front of me again at Starbucks this morning. LOL! Thank You, Lord, for the extra effort You put in for us slow ones!

I am posting the video to "Brave" and the lyric below it. (If you cannot view this video here, view it on YouTube. There's a short ad in the front, but keep watching!) If you aren't familiar with Sara Bareilles, GET familiar! You owe it to yourself! This video is the acoustic version that she did live, but you should definitely get her new album, The Blessed Unrest, like, now. And of course, don't you know "Brave" is the very first song on the album! Message from God: DELIVERED! The version on the album is the pop version and it is awesome! I like acoustic better, but any way you hear this song is very worth it.

Then read the lyric and figure out what areas in YOUR life and/or what people you need to get BRAVE with! For me, I'll forevermore remember this time in my life when I hear this song... And how so often, the times you are being the most brave is when you are the most scared. But there is no freedom that isn't precipitated by bravery in some form.

Be free! Be yourself. Always. And be BRAVE!

Love, JEN




Brave 
You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast
Or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love
Or you can start speaking up
Nothing's gonna hurt you the way that words do
When they settle 'neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes the shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

Everybody's been there,
Everybody's been stared down by the enemy
Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing,
Bow down to the mighty
Don't run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

And since your history of silence
Won't do you any good,
Did you think it would?
Let your words be
anything but empty
Why don't you tell them the truth?

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you

I wanna see you be brave