years ago i remember my cousin, an avid footballer, talking about how his coach tried to teach him to run faster. as the coach's theory went, when children run they are not afraid of falling and so they lean slightly forward--into the run--and thereby using gravity to their advantage they actually run faster. as humans grow they learn that falling hurts and they lean back slightly, resisting the gravity that pulls them down. the fear slows them down and they can't run as fast. my cousin's coach worked on his running to help him un-learn this fear so that he could improve his speed. my cousin never went pro but the technique stuck in my mind.
the other day i talked with a doctor who said our risk of cancer in many areas is determined in the first twenty years of our life. example: melanoma (skin cancer) is directly linked not to current sun exposure but to whether you burned and tanned before you turned twenty. if you had a lot of sun exposure then your risk is high, regardless of how well you take care of your skin after that. someone commented on the doctor's theory by saying that as young people we are fearless, not taking into account how our choices will bear fruit years down the road.
and i thought, i am more fearless now than i ever was before.
as a child, i remember times of uncertainty and trepidation. i remember years of never eating at restaurants and even getting the charity basket at Christmas--which shook me because i thought that was something we gave to, not received. but as the years passed and i saw how His hand provided i began to let that slip through my fingers, to choose the attitude of treating friends whenever i could because He knows where my next meal comes from and i can freely give.
i remember years of loneliness as i said goodbye to my best friend at age 6 and struggled with shyness. if my heart could be laid open for examination the scars of broken relationships would crisscross its purple membranes as over the years i have loved and lost many times. yet through every heartache He has shown me His hands and His side and i have touched His love. and the friends and family that still encourage, call and stick with me are more than i can list on command--and all dearly loved. so i can open my heart again and again with less fear now than as a child.
i remember physical limitations and times when i refused to try for fear of failure. i remember an hour on the ski slope failing miserably as a child and refusing to take the lift up and try again. but now, i would. i've fallen and He's caught me. He has given me the strength to run a half marathon, to travel around the world, to climb a mountain, to bike over 25 miles just this morning, and to walk and not faint.
i am more fearless because i chose years ago that if i refuse to try something out of fear--especially something He is asking me to risk--then that fear is what rules my life. and anything, ANYTHING other than His Kingship is death.
living recklessly fearless is risky. but what He asks is worth it, and the only truly safe place is in His arms.
the other day i talked with a doctor who said our risk of cancer in many areas is determined in the first twenty years of our life. example: melanoma (skin cancer) is directly linked not to current sun exposure but to whether you burned and tanned before you turned twenty. if you had a lot of sun exposure then your risk is high, regardless of how well you take care of your skin after that. someone commented on the doctor's theory by saying that as young people we are fearless, not taking into account how our choices will bear fruit years down the road.
and i thought, i am more fearless now than i ever was before.
as a child, i remember times of uncertainty and trepidation. i remember years of never eating at restaurants and even getting the charity basket at Christmas--which shook me because i thought that was something we gave to, not received. but as the years passed and i saw how His hand provided i began to let that slip through my fingers, to choose the attitude of treating friends whenever i could because He knows where my next meal comes from and i can freely give.
i remember years of loneliness as i said goodbye to my best friend at age 6 and struggled with shyness. if my heart could be laid open for examination the scars of broken relationships would crisscross its purple membranes as over the years i have loved and lost many times. yet through every heartache He has shown me His hands and His side and i have touched His love. and the friends and family that still encourage, call and stick with me are more than i can list on command--and all dearly loved. so i can open my heart again and again with less fear now than as a child.
i remember physical limitations and times when i refused to try for fear of failure. i remember an hour on the ski slope failing miserably as a child and refusing to take the lift up and try again. but now, i would. i've fallen and He's caught me. He has given me the strength to run a half marathon, to travel around the world, to climb a mountain, to bike over 25 miles just this morning, and to walk and not faint.
i am more fearless because i chose years ago that if i refuse to try something out of fear--especially something He is asking me to risk--then that fear is what rules my life. and anything, ANYTHING other than His Kingship is death.
living recklessly fearless is risky. but what He asks is worth it, and the only truly safe place is in His arms.
