Fear of Flying

        Diana and Paul, my Colorado friends, own two dogs and a large parrot. One day their parrot escaped their house and flew to the top of an Aspen tree in their back yard. But the silly bird, though it knew it could fly up, didn’t realize it also had the power to fly down. Diana stood outside for 20 minutes cajoling until finally--nervously and very gingerly—the parrot crept down the tree, claw by claw, branch by branch.
       Even as I laughed at the story, I wondered: how often am I just like that silly parrot? How often do I fail to use all the power I possess? When we hold ourselves back, avoiding risk, it’s usually because we’re afraid.
      But as E. Hubbard wrote: “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one.”
      Scripture says, “Be not afraid.”
     A modern philosopher put it this way: “Feel the fear--and do it anyway.”
     Next time I feel afraid to take a legitimate risk, I’m going to think about that silly parrot. And instead of limiting myself, I’m going to spread my wings and fly.
     How about you?