Valiant Deeds

AUG 29 - SEP 4 2010 — VALIANT DEEDS — ISSUE 169
Guest Author Rob Segovia

Surprise Inside This Issue! (It's pretty obvious, so read on and we'll talk about it later)

It’s an honor to be asked to write a Vitamin C, so thank you, Brett, for entrusting one week to me.  Honestly, I was a little afraid to write a Vitamin C when I got an email from Brett asking for people to fill in for him because he always has such insightful things to write every week, but I figured that if Nnamdi Asomugha can fill in for Peter King one week writing Monday Morning Quarterback then I can fill in for Brett one week writing a Vitamin C.  Hopefully you’ll get the daily amount recommended by the USFDA out of this.

I was at my cousin’s wedding this weekend and the DJ put on “The Electric Slide” to kick off the dancing for the reception.  Typically, this is when the people who love dancing immediately jump up and start dancing and then everyone else who was too afraid to start the dance see the very simple dance, remember that they’ve done it before, and join in.  At this reception, however, no one had the nerves to get up to start the dance.  Halfway through the song, after much lamenting by the DJ, two people did the Electric Slide.  Just to prove this was no fluke, when the Dollar Dance started most people sat in their chairs – too afraid or self-involved to give up a few dollars for the new bride and groom (while I chickened out with the crowd during the Electric Slide, I did repent and jump at the chance to pony up the $5 I had to dance with my cousin, only to have my dance with her cut short by some punk kid, who probably got the $1 he paid from his parents).  Everyone loves a good party with lots of fun and dancing, but most are too afraid of looking like a fool to start dancing.  But this is just one small fear in life.

I Samuel 31:11-12

Picture the situation: the Philistines had just routed Israel’s army, and killed the king and his sons.  Now, they were brazenly displaying his dismembered body in their country.  No one in Israel was doing anything about it.  City after city heard the news of what the Philistines did to Saul, and city after city were too afraid to do anything.  That is, until a few valiant men saw the situation, marched all night into enemy territory, and did the honorable thing for their fallen king.

What things are you afraid of doing?  Maybe it’s something as little as denying yourself at a party to dance and help others to have a good time, or maybe it’s something as big as reaching out to that person in the cereal aisle with you.  When do you have an idea of something you could do, but you hold back out of fear or selfishness?  What times have you held back when you had an opportunity to inspire, encourage, love, or serve somebody?  Don’t follow the crowd; be valiant and dance.

Robert “if I see that kid again I’m going to steal his lunch money” Segovia