Josh Groban: Hold On and Be Brave

Josh Groban, the “You Raise Me Up” artist that has been wowing audiences for more than a decade, is releasing his newest studio album next month. As a self-proclaimed “Grobanite,” I have found solace and hope in his motivating anthems and striking ballads.

In November 2010 I blogged about his song “Higher Window” and the idea that a light from “a higher window” is guiding us. Then in May 2011, I blogged about his song “Hidden Away” and the freedom that comes from living with no regrets.

Now I am soaking in the message behind “Brave,” the first single on his new album, “All That Echoes.” Groban, in a rich vibrato, sings:

“Hold on, hold on so strong, times just carries on
All that you thought was wrong is pure again
You can't hide forever from the thunder
Look into the storm and feel the rain

You wanna run away, run away
And you say that it can't be so
You wanna look away, look away
But you stay 'cause it's all so close
When you stand up and hold out your hand
In the face of what I don't understand
My reason to be brave”

According to his website, the song, co-written by Groban, is about strength and breaking through adversity to get through the day. What a perfect message for single Catholics.

In the midst of my dating journey, I often felt like could literally feel the rain when break-ups shook my confidence and men broke my trust. I didn’t understand God’s timing, and I surely didn’t understand how he could prevent me from meeting Mr. Right at the very moment I wanted to be swept up into a whirlwind romance.

It took bravery to attend family weddings alone. It took bravery to graduate from college and start my career without a significant other by my side. And it took bravery to navigate through intense grief and sadness without “the one” to wipe away my tears.

Catholics who are left to pick up the pieces after a divorce, leave their loved ones to serve our country or begin anew as a widow or widower are the bravest of the brave, consistently inspiring all of us with ties to CatholicMatch to press on and be brave.

We all must be brave, in and out of the dating scene, and trust that when we “stand up and hold out our hands,” God will reach right out and intertwine his hand with our own, leading us along our way.

No matter what challenges you may face today, be brave.