I don't think that I was born this way. I have always loved the thrill of an adventure, but I used to be scared. Not as much as some people though. My little brother is a special kid... if you know him, you know exactly what I mean. I remember a phase of his life, when he was trying to decide what to be when he grew up, and he based it on whether he could get killed or not. Professional baseball player? Could get hit in the temple by a ball and die. Car salesman? Could get run over. My personal favorite: baseball card seller? A robber could come and break in and steal the baseball cards then shoot him in a fit of rage. I'm not saying it's logical but that's how the kid thought. He was also irrationally afraid that Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma City bomber) would come get him in the night. Baby Brother Belch was ruled by fear.
Recently I've come to consider myself fearless. I have a huge desire to go skydiving. My mom thinks I'm crazy, that I have some sort of a death wish. My logic is considerably different. I figure that since before I was born God has known every detail of my life, birthday, number of hairs on my head, death day and cause of death. If I'm meant to die in a skydiving accident, it's going to happen. If I'm meant to die in a fiery crash, it's going to happen. I'm not one of those people who believes I have the ability to alter my "fate." I think God knows how it's going down and, regardless of what I do or do not do, his plan will prevail. I'll be honest, my fearlessness generally lapses right before it's go-time. Right before the roller coaster begins. Right before I go into the ocean to scuba dive. I get a little nervous, but then I feel such a sense of calm.
... isn't it liberating? To live without fear? After all, God did say "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
1 comment:
Let's go skydiving together. I've always wanted to go, too!
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