"Nevertheless, she persisted" became a very popular phrase this year. T-shirts, blogs and photos bear this phrase everywhere, it seems. According to Wikipedia, "after the Senate voted to silence Senator Elizabeth Warren's objections to confirm Senator Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell uttered this phrase during comments following the vote in an effort to defend the Senate's actions and blame Senator Warren."
But this phrase caught on like a prairie wildfire. Women proudly began using it to signify their persistence in furthering their cause for women's rights and, more specifically, their own individual life-fight that they are persisting in.
I mention this because my daughter-in-law Kelly posted today a picture of our youngest granddaughter, who is 10 months old. With her back to the camera, in only her diaper, she is almost mid-way up the home staircase. She has grabbed onto two of the wrought iron posts connected to the banister and using one leg, is pushing her body up to stand.
Kelly posted above the photo "she's a brave one, that Remy Grace".
After I chuckled, my first thought was "nevertheless, she persisted"!
But then I began to think about what Remy's mom said: "brave".
This immediately made me think of the Disney movie "Brave", about a young Scottish princess that was...well, very brave. (See how my mind works?)
So I thought: what's so good about being brave?
And my heart and mind flew right to a prophetic meaning for this word. I wanted to speak into the moment some of the things that I think little Remy Grace can aspire to. So I quickly wrote:
"bravery: ready and willing to go where she needs to go, do what others may not do and say truth in the face of evil! she will more than persist--she will overcome & conquer!"
Isn't that part of the "all" that we want our children to become?
Whatever comes their way, they will rise above it all. They won't be overcome by it.
Because while they were young and growing-up, they had parents and grandparents who modeled and encouraged bravery in the face of adversity.
And being taught they have been given all they need, through Jesus Christ our Lord and by watching their examples they will not only persist through adversity, trials and temptations. They will face them. They will overcome them.
They will vanquish them.
Because they are brave.