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Brave: A Song of Hope for Survivors of Abuse
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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 1 Peter 1:3-6
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Kathi posted this on the Spiritual Sounding Board Facebook page:
I am loving this song so much right now. I don’t care if it’s overplayed on the radio. I would love everyone to find their own voice! -KB
Although having heard the song before, I had never really paid attention to the lyrics. One of the commenters on the Facebook page understandably felt that the upbeat music trivializes abuse with the lyrics which have deep meaning. I agreed with that, too, but then added my thoughts:
As a life-long musician, I was considering your comment. The style of music is upbeat, positive, and yet the lyric content is very serious – doesn’t really match. However, after stewing about this for a bit, I think the video is appropriate. There is freedom when our voices are heard and that is something to be happy about. When our voices are heard, we cross that line from victim to victorious – – both for ourselves and perhaps for others as they are getting freed. Our voice offers hope. That is something to celebrate.
Although it is likely that the original lyrics may not have been specifically addressing the types of abuse we discuss here, the truth represented in the lyrics can certainly apply.
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So, today, this video is dedicated to those voices here who have started to speak out, share their stories, say no to abuse.
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Brave, as sung by Sara Bareilles
You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast
Or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love
Or you can start speaking up
Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do
And they settle ‘neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you
Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave
With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave
Everybody’s been there, everybody’s been stared down
By the enemy
Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing
Bow down to the mighty
Don’t run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is
Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave
With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave
Innocence, your history of silence
Won’t do you any good
Did you think it would?
Let your words be anything but empty
Why don’t you tell them the truth?
Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave
With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave (repeats)
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Spiritual Sounding Board 
I haven’t followed up on any of the comments on FB. Sorry, but things have been so crazy lately and will continue to be for the next couple of weeks. This song really has resonated with me so much. Now that I am almost (yes, almost) 45, I truly feel like I can say what I want to say. It’s not because anyone has dragged me down and made me feel like trash, but it’s because of my own personal make-up.
I have always been an introverted people pleaser. By that I mean that I would much rather not speak my mind about something if it means that it will hold the peace. (If any of my fellow introverts have not read the book Quiet by Susan Cain, I highly recommend it. This attitude of staying quiet is addressed in there.) Now that I am getting a bit older, I really feel comfortable in my skin and I am learning to let my words out. I admit that I still hold back, mostly out of respect for someone that I care for or if I know it really won’t make much of a difference.
There have been events in my life where I wish I would have spoken up for myself or on behalf of someone else. I have spent a few years ruminating over such times. Now, it is my hope that instead of being silent on issues, I will actually speak my mind. Which, I think I have been doing more and more. It really does feel brave to do that.
As I have journeyed through my own issues of speaking out I have felt a heaviness on my heart for those who have not been able to speak because of abuse that has been thrown at them. Think of all of the women who endured Bill Gothard’s sexual advances and were afraid to speak. Think of children who have been abused by church leaders or church members and have lost their voice because they have been told that they need to forgive. Think of women around the world who endure sexual abuse through trafficking or war and have no one who will listen to them.
Sarah Barriles has many songs that have very empowering lyrics. If she has to use a catchy, pop tune (which is not my typical go-to music, but I love her stuff!) to get people to hear her message, then so be it. Sing it loud and proud!
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it is amazing how powerfully music can speak to something deep in our souls. Maybe everyone is on “Let It Go” overdose by now, but I’ll never forget the first time I heard that song. My family and I went to see Frozen with a friend of ours who is also an ex-member of our former church. As we were leaving the theater, she turned to me and said, “I thought of you during that song.” We texted each other excitedly when it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It moves me every time I hear it, and reminds me to focus on going forward.
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I haven’t seen Frozen yet, but I keep hearing the same thing about Let it Go.
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I always think of guys like Swanson, Mahaney, Mohler, et al. when I hear her song King of Anything.
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Thanks, Kathi. To me, that was – – just another pop song in the sea of pop songs. I’m glad you made me stop and really listen to the lyrics. Really glad. It’s a great message.
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Lol, Kathi. I googled King of Anything. I see what you mean.
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I just love the words, “Who died and made you king of anything?” Haha! It makes me chuckle every time I hear it.
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That was a great song (Brave). Like it very much!
This song Seize the Day by Karen Fraley has been a good one for me recently about letting these kinds of things, people, situations go and move on to the seize the day. This is our day, not the abusers and they can’t take it when we have the power of Christ.
Another song that tells how much Jesus loves us and changes us into what is beautiful: http://youtu.be/oyPBtExE4W0
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The song “Brave” is about coming out.
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Oh well, we’re “coming out” about abuse.
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Yes we are! Amen to that!
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I like the song; it does carry a message of hope and strength, and it applies to situations many have experienced besides the one the song was originally inspired by. Just thought I’d mention the background in case people didn’t know.
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