GO

My son Ethan is a Paratrooper with the US Army. I love it when he tells the story about his first jump. He was standing at the door of the airplane watching his buddies jump out. One at a time, each soldier took his place at the door and waited for the command to jump. GO. Ethan's heart was racing, and everything in his body was telling him to take a step backwards. Don't jump. Stop. You're crazy. Don't do it. Be safe.
Then it was Ethan's turn. He stepped up to the door, shaking with fear. The wind was roaring. He could see the earth far below. I imagine the words and thoughts that must have been racing through his head. And then....
GO. And Ethan was in the air. Just like that. When his mind heard the command, it silenced all other noise. His mind and body obeyed. His training kicked in. He jumped, because that is what he was trained to do. There was no more time to think about how scared he was. Now it was time to enjoy the ride and prepare to land.
As of this morning, Ethan is still in the hospital in Ft Bragg, NC. He had a bad landing a couple of weeks ago and was injured. I don't know what the future holds for him, but I do know that he would not trade his experiences of the last 18 months for anything.

Maybe you're standing at a door right now. Maybe you are hearing those same voices. Take a step back. This is crazy. Stop. Don't jump. Be safe.
My prayer for us all today is that we would step up to the door, even if we are shaking with fear. And when it's our turn and we hear GO, may our training kick in and our body and mind respond. Even if we might get hurt. Even if everything in us is telling us to play it safe. Because life was not meant to be lived by obeying the voices in your head. Train hard. And when it's time to jump, GO.