Summer is winding down, which means there are only a few more weeks to enjoy your local pool or beach. Some youngrt kids, who are still learning to swim, may still be facing the water with some trepidation. Despite swim aids and the outstretched arms of mom or dad to encourage them to jump in, fear can quickly get the better of them!
Two-year-old Banner’s parents have given him an unstoppable trick: calling on the Lord for courage. "Jesus, make me brave!," you can hear him shout just before the big jump, in a video posted on Instagram.
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This short prayer was given to him by his mom in order to confront a number of fears experienced by many toddlers, such as being in the dark or jumping into water. "Something we’ve taught all 4 of our kids to do when they are afraid is to: (1) Ask Jesus to make them brave. And then, (2) Do the thing even before you feel brave enough to do it,” the mother-of-one explains in her Instagram post, as well as to "accomplish what scares them before they even feel brave enough to do it."
It works with grown-ups too!
But this trick isn't just for kids... As the little boy's mother says, it applies just as well to adults, who need just as much reassurance in the face of their daily fears, big or small:
There are many nights that I am right alongside him in his room as I prepare to kiss him goodnight that we both shout “Jesus, make me brave!” together. I am shouting it at my own fears, doubts and challenges. And you know what?
It builds my faith each time.
Asking the Lord for the virtue of courage is nothing other than an act of humility and full trust in his Spirit: "apart from me, you can do nothing," said Christ (Jn 15:5). We must trust in the Lord for him to make us strong.
