In our church, when boys turn 12, they get to pass the sacrament to the congregation. For one boy in our congregation, this was not a day he looked forward to. He was really nervous about it. To help him out, his dad stood with him. He'd follow him around the chapel and direct him to where he needed to go next. It was so heart-warming to see a dad support his son like that so that he could have the chance to do the things all the boys do.
I often think of this when I have to do things that are uncomfortable. Sometimes I think about it too much. In From Strength to Strength, the author talks about going ziplining as an older adult. He stood on the platform quite scared out of his wits. The young adult working there said to him, "Dude, don't think. Just do it!"
I think that's a good motto for life. It seems like these days with all the concerns about mental health, we often don't push ourselves (or others) to do things that are hard...but we should do hard things! If we do not, we don't grow.
