Declarations of those who are Bold in the Soul

I love the word BOLD. It captures the essence of everything that makes my heart smile. Bold paint colors in my art. Bold print on my workout pants. Bold and loud expressions when I get awkwardly excited in conversation with friends. Bold compliments to the stranger at the gas station where I buy my energy drink on the daily. Yep. As a proud veteran cheerleader, you should see the side eyes I get from other parents as I boldly cheer on my son at basketball games. Bold is good but it also gets me in trouble sometimes as I insert my foot in my mouth after boldly proclaiming whatever it is that is boldly on my heart to whoever will listen.

God in His goodness has shown me new layers of bold. Have you noticed in the Gospels the interesting paradox of bold and meek? It is both/and. We see Jesus turning over the tables at the temple in His fierce desire for God’s chosen to come back to their first Love. The authority that He stands on while healing the sick in body and soul, proclaiming them forgiven is audacious. Jesus freely invited in the marginalized, forgotten, proclaimed unclean, straight up sinful. I bet we would squirm at the words spoken behind His back about such brazen activity. Yet, that boldness we witness in Scripture is accentuated by Jesus’ servant posture as He gracefully washed the feet of even the one who would soon fatally betray Him. And finally, the ultimate paradox: loving those who nailed Him to the cross and loving the One who is worthy of the excruciating pain.

Both bold AND meek. Jesus, You are a holy paradox. We boldly shout out Your goodness and humbly bow low to your Kingship.

In His creativity, each one of us is given unique qualities to manifest our call to be both bold AND meek. Your bold doesn’t have to be as loud as my bold. I so admire those who capture the attention of a room without one exclamation point in their speech. Those of us that relate to the words bold, expressive, brash, let’s not shy away from peaceful, quiet, or steadfast. No, we don’t have to be one or the other. And on the flip side, those of us who operate in more understated manner, please let your bold shine through! We need your steady, thoughtful words–we need your voice.

So wherever you are on this spectrum won’t you join in on this challenge? Let’s investigate and prayerfully seek out the depths of our own unique, God-given soul. Let’s live out the Gospel from the both/and perspective.

Join me in these Bold in the Soul Declarations:

~I will boldly stand steadfast and established in God’s truth no matter how quickly the tides turn. His truth is my foundation.

~I will boldly love God with all my heart, soul mind and strength. Then, out of those depths, I will serve and love others.

~I will sit quiet at the feet of Jesus while boldly proclaiming His glory and renown. Peaceful in mind and heart versus rustling and scratching. Striving is no longer in my vocabulary.

~I will offer and operate in grace.

~I will allow the Holy Spirit to transform my heart and mind toward kingdom pursuits rather than earthly trifles.

~I will boldly confess my sin then humbly, meekly clothe myself in Christ’s righteousness.

~I will speak life and love out of the overflow of my knowledge and reverence of the Gospel.

What would you add to this Bold in the Soul Declarations? Be confident friend, that whether your life is one big !!! or you lean toward a softer manifestation of bold, embrace it. Stretch wide your understanding of the bold and meek our Creator has woven into your soul. Step into that both/and spectrum.

The world needs our bold AND meek to reflect God’s righteousness AND love, His holiness AND mercy, His strength AND gentleness.

Sarah Martin is a wife, mom, friend, mentor, author, speaker, wanna be artist and now calls herself a Revelation Wellness Instructor.

Come join us for this Cardio Strength #workoutwednesday! Meet Courtney, a Revelation Wellness Instructor. This workout will flip-flop you back and forth between cardio and resistance training. Sure to keep your body guessing. Muscle confusion? No big deal. God is never confused about us. Get comfortable being uncomfortable in this workout.