What would you DO if you were not afraid?

Favorite Third Son Tyler posed that question in a talk he gave in church this week.  He credited it to Favorite 2nd Son Kendall, who credited it to a book about cheese.... and mice....  Anyway, it got me to thinking.  What would I DO if I was not afraid?  And, to ponder the point further -- what have I done, in spite of fear?  Hmmmmm.  


As I think about it, fear has its benefits.  It can keep us out of danger.  It promotes caution and prudence.  It can heighten the senses.  All of which can be extremely useful.


Yet, via the ancient prophet Isaiah, God teaches us, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (41:10)  
......So "fear thou not" - is not just a mere suggestion.  It sounds more like a commandment.


Therefore, in situations when stupidity is not in the mix, and actual harm is not a possibility (except if you're Moses, stepping into the Red Sea), but rather ... failure, or embarrassment, or rejection, or discomfort, or exposure, or pride, or loss of something eternally unimportant, or sweat, or pain .... are among the possible consequences ... along with the possibility of something wonderful, THEN is a good time to ask yourself that question.


What would YOU do if you were not afraid?  And what HAVE you done?   For me, it was watching the Love of My Life leave for two years to serve as God's missionary -- and then, years later, watching each of our three sons fly away to foreign worlds to do the same.  It was standing by my man (and only breadwinner) as he quit his very secure job to start his own very un-secure business.  It was taking the exam for my (currently non-current) Real Estate license.  It was teaching my first adult religion class.  It was my first attempt down a ski slope.  It was walking into my first Weight Watchers meeting.  It was my first 10K.  It was accepting an invitation to run in the Hood to Coast relay.  It's agreeing to chaperone a re-enactment of a pioneer handcart trek involving no showers nor actual beds for 4 days.  And it's those 26.2 miles next June.