The Life-Giving Unafraid {Day 21}

I would have been okay not driving for a year. Because I don’t know all the German driving laws. Because there were a whole bunch of what-ifs that kept me afraid and in the dark and wanting nothing to do with the what-would-I-do-ifs. Like what would I do if I got pulled over by a German police officer and couldn’t understand my offense? Or what would I do if I took a wrong turn down a one-way street and people started honking and the traffic was so heavy that I couldn’t back out and I had to anyway and then I got into a fender-bender with a Porsche and the driver got out and started yelling at me and I started crying and then the police came and I just wanted to go home only I couldn’t because, well, now I had a misdemeanor on my record? Yeah, that’s why I didn’t want to drive.

And then my husband handed me the keys and told me it was time.

So I drove home that evening in June. And then next time we got in the car, I drove the Autobahn in the daylight. And I found out that 159 kilometers per hour is actually fun. A notch in the belt of Life. Unafraid. Many more notches have since taken their place on that belt. One such notch was forged last night when we drove to Bamberg.

We walked through the town and into cathedrals and the Alte Hofhaltung. It was grandiose, to say the least. Husband drove the one-hour-on-the-Autobahn trip while I read of the treasures that awaited us at our destination. The Cathedral, I read, housed the tomb of Pope Clement II. The only Papal burial north of the Alps. Little Venice, I learned, is what they call the little island in the middle of the river where fishermen used to live. Rauchbier, I discovered, is the specialty beer of Bamberg. So, when we arrived at 5:15 pm, we grabbed our cameras and took it all in.

Perhaps now is a good time to let you in on a little known fact about Germany and beer. You see, we learned early on that Germans take some things very seriously. One of them is driving. Another is beer. And the two are never, ever to be mixed. For, we had read that if there were to be an accident and either party had been found to have even the tiniest trace of alcohol in their blood (not drunk, mind you), that person would be automatically found guilty for the infraction. So we decided from the get-go that if either one of us wanted to have a beer, or a glass of wine, the other would drive.

So when Husband asked if I minded if he ordered the Rauchbier, the unafraid had to step it up a bit. For, you see, I had never driven more than 15 minutes on the Autobahn. And I had certainly never done it in the dark. But I like it when Husband lives large and adventurous. I love that he wants to know this adventure to the full. Take in all the unique and the special that we have right now. And I want to be like that, too. So I tossed around the idea of telling him I was too afraid to drive home in the dark, and then I remembered the 31 Days of Life Unafraid.

So he ordered the beer, which tasted, well, smoked. And I drove us all home in the dark on the Autobahn. I hit a new speed record, too. All because I refused to let fear dictate what I can and cannot do. And I refuse to let fear dictate such things for those I love as well.

And that is the story of how life unafraid opens up living for not just me, but for those I love as well.

*This month, I’m joining a bunch of other bloggers in a challenge to write for 31 days on a topic about change. Having struggled with fear (sometimes paralyzing) for a lot of my life and missing much of the living that I know God wants for me, I am on a mission to live unafraid for 31 days straight. And challenging you to join me. And I’m writing about it. You can catch up here if you’ve missed any of the days. Bring a friend, too. It’ll make it more fun. Oh, and here’s a button for you to grab if you have a blog and would like to share the unafraid life (which, btw, I would love).

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