I was reading scripture one day and came across these verses:
“Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap. …
“Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. …
“Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.“
I remember thinking to myself, why would I ever FEAR to do good?? That’s such an odd thing to say.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I fear to do good all the time. I’ll get a thought to say something nice to someone and be embarrassed to say it. Or worry they’ll think I’m weird (which I am, but still).
I’ll get a feeling to stop by a friends house and check in on them, but then second guess myself and think I’m intruding or bugging them.
I’ll feel a strong impression to e-mail, text, or call someone, but I worry about what they’ll think. Or I won’t have the right thing to say.
Or I’ll feel compelled to pursue something in my life that could benefit myself, or even a lot of people, and I’ll resist. Out of fear. Out of the unknown. Out of uncertainty.
The truth is, I fear to do good all the time.
But once I realized this about myself, I decided I was going to try and change.
So now, with any thought that pops in my head, I ask “is it good?”, and “will it help someone else?” and if it passes those two questions, then I tell myself “then do it.” It’s not always easy, but I am trying.
Now for the record, I have a LOT of things pop up in my head, and most of them are good. Realistically I don’t have time to do all of them. But I do as many as I can. And I fight the fear that often accompanies those things (even if they are seemingly small).
If it’s good, do it. Fear Not to DO GOOD.
