When I consider my life’s most brave moments, they were not those that would have required public speaking or even working as an attorney during a big, intimidating trial. No, I would say that my life’s bravest moments center around asking God for answers, getting answers, and then acting upon the answers.
I was taught a song when I was a young woman with the lyric “Do what is right, let the consequence follow.” I grew up with a naïve view of the meaning of these lyrics, which makes sense as I originally learned the lyrics when I myself was young and naïve. I naively thought that “doing what was right” meant that “easy and/or good” followed.
The definition of “consequence” (courtesy of dictionary.com):
1. the effect, result, or outcome of something occurring earlier: The accident was the consequence of reckless driving.
2. an act or instance of following something as an effect, result, or outcome.
It wasn’t until I was an adult and experiencing one of the toughest emotional challenges I have ever faced (even to this day) that I truly understood the words of the song. While facing my “Goliath-like,” mountainous trial, I repeatedly prayed with all 
of my soul for a divine answer to the question that was weighing heavy on my heart. I knew that the decision would put me on a course that was going to change my life, and I knew that I needed my Father in Heaven’s perspective. Some people call their answers a “gut feeling” or “intuition.” Others call who I believe to be God a “Supreme Being” or “The Universe.” As for me, I believe in a Father in Heaven that answers my prayers when I ask for help. After a time I received an answer from God, and I knew it. I acted upon it, and it wasn’t long after acting upon the answer that I began to understand that the lyrics of the song “let the consequence follow” didn’t mean only an outpouring of positive consequences (as I had naively assumed as a young girl.) Doing what I knew to be right in that instance meant hard and painful consequences.
The point of life isn’t to short cut the learning experiences. There isn’t up and over “Goliath-like,” mountainous trials. Rather, we are meant to travel “through” life. So, when I find myself at another difficult crossroad, I consider myself a pretty brave woman when I look for the right answer—and act upon it—instead of just the easy answer.
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