Saturday, 15 September 2012

• Do Not Be Afraid: A Skydiving Story

  Just recently I decided to knock something off my bucket list. I jumped off the deep -- according to some of my friends -- and went skydiving.
  
  Surprisingly enough, when I told my dad what I was going to do, he didn't even question my judgment. I have been declared as the adventurous person in our family, so nobody really questions me anymore when I decide to do such rash things.
  
  I have to say that it was the most amazing thing that I have ever experienced. I knew as soon as my feet landed on the ground that it would be something that I would be doing again, maybe even several times. I came home with such an adrenaline rush that skydiving was all I thought about for almost a whole week. Every time I looked up in the clear blue skies I just wished I could be back up there plummeting to Earth. When I went back to work a few of my coworkers asked how it was and of course I proceeded to tell them that it was absolutely amazing. Some of them even asked me what possessed me to do such a thing. My initial answer was "Because I'm crazy I guess. I've just always wanted to do it."
  
  However, that question became very intriguing to me. Why did I really do it? What would possess me to just jump out of an airplane while the mere thought of doing that would send some people into a panic attack? 
  
  Suddenly during one of my pondering moments it hit me. I truly am fearless. Is that stupid? Some people would concur that it is. However, I was reminded of something. The phrase, "Do Not Be Afraid" is mentioned in the Bible 365 times, and if you recall, there are 365 days in a year. Coincidence? I think not. I believe that this is God's reminder to us to live each day fearlessly. This very quickly became my answer to the question of why I would do such a thing.
  
  Unfortunately, many people's responses to this was that you can get hurt or killed. Yes, it's true, but I know that my Maker holds my life in his hands. My fate has already been determined. He already knows when I'm going to go, and when it's my time, it's going to happen whether I'm crashing 200mph towards Earth or walking across the street. It really doesn't matter, my fate is already set.
  
  So I consider it a good thing that I have been labeled a fearless person. It's better to be fearless than to miss out on all of the amazing opportunities that God has given us. I don't want to be the person who looks back on my life at the age of 80 and say, "man, I wish I would've given that a shot." 

  The moral of this particular entry is to encourage you to do something crazy! Don't let fear hold you back from accomplishing something great. Remember, God says, "Do Not Be Afraid"! So jump off the deep end -- He's got your back!
  
  Are you fearless?  What's the scariest thing you've ever done?  What did you learn from facing your fears?  What can those who struggle with fears do to remember God's call to "be not afraid"?
  

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