Here’s a question for you.
“What would you do if you knew that you couldn’t fail?”
I suspect your answer would be to do something different than what you are doing right now. Why? Because we tend to hold back and don’t take risks to protect ourselves from failure or from what we think others will think of us. Think back on your life, if you knew you couldn’t fail were there things you would have done differently? Would you have:
- Tried out for that part in the play?
- Asked her/him out on a date?
- Accepted that job offer in a new city?
- Started your own business?
- Chosen a different college?
- Picked a different major?
- Become a chef?
- Gone into consulting?
- Run for a political office?
- Become a stand-up comic?
It’s not that we don’t have dreams, we all do, but we’ve been conditioned in life to be careful, not wanting to get hurt, to fail, or protect ourselves from the embarrassment of failing.
Akolutos is a Greek word, and it means unrestrained or unhindered, or in other words, nothing holding you back. I like that word (I know you’re surprised I know a Greek word and its meaning) and I wish I could be that way more often
Let’s flip the question from one of failure, to what might help you be courageous, to not hold back.
Not caring about what others think – How often have you held back (restraint) because you wondered what others would think. It could be as simple as not wearing an outfit you love, but it’s a new style and it’s bold, or not saying what you truly think on a subject. I don’t know about you, but when I reflect on my life, I’ll admit there have been times when I cared more about what “others” might think about me, than I cared for myself. I wanted to avoid the possibility of their judgement or criticism of me. But who are those “others”? Can you name them? If someone doesn’t truly know you or care for you, what they think or say should be meaningless to you.
Not caring about failure – A very wise person once reminded me that to become very good I must be bad first. It’s part of the process toward success and you should learn with each small failure. That means those failures aren’t really failing but instead are the downpayments we make toward success. A young baseball player who finally makes it to the major leagues (the show) will fail and need to make adjustments to succeed. They need those learning opportunities. How I wish I had recognized that earlier in life.
Someone or something is more important – Have you ever known someone who had a family member with a serious illness? Chances are they were unrestrained when seeking help or resources for that family member because the person they loved was most important. I am not good at asking for money, so I wouldn’t be a good fund raiser. The people I know who are good at raising money are bold in their asking because they are asking for an organization that is important to them, to the people served or the community. They have a reason to ask and it’s more important to them than worrying about someone saying “no.”
Let’s go forward in life unhindered and unrestrained because we have a God who cares for us, surrounds us and protects us. Because of that, we can be bold.
And Paul lived there for two full years [at his own expense] in his own rented lodging and welcomed all who came to him, preaching and proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness and boldness, unhindered and unrestrained. Acts 28:30-31 AMP
