Becoming Like Him - Day 24 - Dare

Today is Friday.  Five - minute - Friday to be exact and I can't wait to share.  This is where a group of bloggers gather together over at Kate's Place every single Friday to share their writing on a single prompt, without worrying about whether it is just right or not.  To find out more, or just link your own story with ours, join us over at Heading Home with Kate.

"Let us dare

To read,

Think,

Speak,

and Write."

John Adams

The prompt for this week is:

DARE

START

I spent so much of my life afraid.  Afraid to be who I am, afraid to speak out, afraid to be offended, afraid to dream, afraid to become.  In my struggles, I have learned that I only grow by being challenged.  Life, all by itself doesn't always teach us.  It is when we have to develop the courage to step up and speak out that we really start to learn.
I have learned that it is okay to be different and not like everyone else.  I have learned that none of us are perfect, no matter how much we pretend to be on Sunday.  I have learned to love, in spite of the choices of those I care for.  I have learned to forgive, even when it is harder than I ever imagined.
Sometimes, we just have to dare to be more than we thought we could be.
Today was a hard day.  Someone was in the office yelling and screaming at me.  They called me names and were just plain hard to deal with.  I left that confrontation with hate in my heart.  It is hard to get rid of hate when it wants to take up residence.  So, now, I am working on forgiving.  I don't know how successful I will be, but if it puts me in a better mood to deal with tomorrow, than I will have been successful.  I think that daring to be outside your normal self is not that easy.  It is a challenge.
I write because I dare to share my heart.  I dare to put my words out there to be judged.  I dare to share what He means in my life.  I struggle often to be the person that I want to be.  I have to put aside so many old habits and embrace new ones.  Sometimes, I slip back into yesterday and find myself lost for a time.
Yet, the more I dare, the surer I am of my direction and my path.  The less that I allow fear to govern my journey.  As I seek to become more like Him, I find myself daring a little more often to choose the right.  I find myself seeking those things which are true.  I find myself thinking things through, speaking up, and even speaking out.  I find myself daring to be just a little more like Him, one moment at a time.  One marvelous word.  One tiny thought.  One single step right into His arms of love.

STOP

Now it is your turn.  What can your write for your own version of Five-Minute Friday.  Don't forget to link back with the rest of us at Kate's Place.