When I think of lions, I instantly think of Aslan - without fail!

Aslan is a majestic, untamed, and good lion. He is strong and brave. Yes, he is a fictional representation of Jesus, the Lion of Judah and the one we are called to model our lives after.

In some sense, we are called to be lionhearted yet so many of us can't even grasp what that means.

Lion • Hearted

It means to be brave, courageous, undaunted, determined, and fearless.

To be a lionhearted woman of God means to BOLDLY and WISELY walk with His purpose for our lives in mind.

Notice, I added wisely. You can be bold without being wise, but let's be honest, that's no way to champion God's grace.

Being bold or being wise is not an easy task. Together, it seems near impossible. But then again, no one said becoming lionhearted was easy.

It requires A LOT. It's going to require change and sacrifice. It's going to require making bold and wise decisions which is always more difficult than the easy way out.

Are you ready for that?

I think before we jump into that we need to ask, "Why should we be bold at all?"

I know for me, I'm so quick to say that I don't need to be lionhearted when there are other people around me that have that natural gift. I'm good where I'm at so I stay back and watch them do their thing. I praise God because he's doing great things through people. Yet, I'm also the first one to be angry at God when other people around me are living their best lives as they live out their purpose...because I'm not.

You can't have it both ways!

Here's the thing though, God wants to do a good work in and through each and every single one of us. He wants us to be lionhearted because that's the only way we're ever really going to be like Christ because there's nothing braver than going against the world by choosing to follow Jesus.

In order to live out His purpose, you're going to have to be bold. And being bold includes making the hard, but wise decisions.

It's being able to recognize the friendships that tear you down in choosing to let go no matter how heartbreaking it may be. It's choosing to surround yourself with friends that hold you up so you are encouraged to empower someone else.

It's wisely choosing to say no to the world when you really want to say yes. Also, it's wisely choosing to say yes to God when you really want to say no.

We want to be lionhearted. We want to model our lives after Jesus. It's what we're called to do! But again, that's going to take sacrifice!

This is something we can't do on our own. So, we have God, the one to whom we surrender our life. He walked alongside us every step of the way. He empowers us because it is impossible to be lionheartedly bold and wise against the world without Him.

It may be terrifying, but "Courage, dear heart."