Brave Like Jesus

March 28, 2026

Bible Verse: Isaiah 41:10 “Don't be afraid. I am with you. Don't tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.”

As a dad, I’ve tried to remind my kids of an important lesson about bravery many times. Whether it’s being scared of the dark, the first day of school after a long break, or trying something new, I often tell them, “Being brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared. It means you do the scary thing anyway.”

In Scripture, we see that even Jesus felt fear. On the night before he was crucified, he prayed in the garden and asked God to take the burden from him. Jesus, the Son of God, was deeply troubled, sorrowful, and scared. Yet he still went to the cross. That’s bravery. 

The Bible tells us over and over again, “Don’t be afraid.” In fact, it’s the most common command in the Bible. I don’t think that’s because it’s the most important command; instead, I think it’s because God knows we will struggle with that lesson. Fear is part of our human experience. What matters is how we respond to it.

The early church understood this well. The first Christians lived under constant threat of persecution and even death. Still, they chose to follow Jesus. They were brave, not because they were fearless, but because they knew the love of Christ was worth doing the scary things anyway.

Today, most of us don’t often face life-threatening situations related to our faith, but we still face moments that require courage. Sometimes bravery looks like standing up for what’s right or admitting when you’re wrong, even when it’s tempting to brush a mistake under the rug. 

Sometimes bravery looks like having conversations that you would rather avoid: conversations about divorce, death, or the Bible passages that are harder to understand as a child. 

Bravery also starts in the small, everyday moments: trusting God with your family’s future, showing kindness to someone who’s hard to love, or being there for your children when they’re afraid. When my kids are scared of bad dreams at night, we pray and ask God to help us remember that he’s already there. We don’t need to ask him to come comfort us, because he already is. He is always with us.

Our kids are watching how we respond to fear. Seeing us pray, speak kindly, or step out in faith teaches them what bravery looks like in action. You can help your children understand that bravery is about leaning on God in the face of fear. Remind them that Jesus knows what it feels like to be afraid, and he went through it anyway for us. When we follow his example, we become people who are brave enough to love, serve, and trust, even when it’s hard.

Want to go deeper?

As a family, read 2 Timothy 1:7 and Hebrews 12:1-3. Discuss how God gives us strength and courage to keep going. Talk about times you’ve seen God help your family be strong and brave through his Spirit and Jesus’ example.