Our oldest son, Chris, has always been pretty much fearless. For instance, one day I heard someone roaring up and down the street on a motorcycle, so I looked out the window to see who this “pest” was. It was Chris (age 15), standing on the seat of his motorcycle, shirtless, doing a wheelie at about 65 MPH! He didn’t learn that from me! I’m a little more cautious (“chicken” might be more accurate!).
Shortly after that incident, we were riding at a place called Cow Mountain near Ukiah, California. It is an area designated for dirt bikes. There are tons of hills, etc. Well, we came to a steep, curved hill with a rut about 3 feet deep. I was terrified to try climbing this thing — but determined to not be a chicken in front of my son, I went for it, got about 15 feet — and crashed!
Pain and scratches aside, the crash itself was beside the point! The important thing was that I didn’t let the fear tell me what to do. The victory was not in making it up the hill but in conquering the fear that taunted me to not even try!
Everyone has fears. In fact, every spiritual giant and every powerful person I know of had — or has — fears! The important thing is they don’t let the fear discourage them from accomplishing what’s in front of them — or at least trying! Succumbing to fear is a choice. Most heroes didn’t set out to be heroes — they saw a crisis situation and got involved, though their very lives were in peril.
Someone has said, “Courage is not the absence of fear; it’s moving ahead in spite of our fears.”
Or as Elisabeth Elliot put it, “Sometimes fear does not subside and one must choose to do it afraid.