Some of us, like myself, are afraid of dogs. I was not even two-years old and playing in my sandbox one summer afternoon in the backyard. A big dog dug his way under the fence and started jumping all over me and barking like crazy. I cried and I screamed but my parents were busy inside and were slow to come to my rescue.
The immortal scientist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895 ) was far more frightened of dogs than most people. Even a distant bark would terrify him. In his mind he could still see a mad wolf which raged through his boyhood village bringing agony and death to many of his neighbors. “I have always been haunted by the cries of those victims,” he said time and again.
Yet in 1882, past the age of 60, Pasteur gave up all his other studies in an intense search for a cure for rabies. For three long years, in spite of his deep seated fears, he risked his life by living with mad dogs.
At last he came through with a vaccine to cure the victims of rabies. On a July night in 1885 he tried the first injection on a little boy whose life seemed doomed. The boy lived.
The remembered agony of his neighbors spurred Louis Pasteur to find a cure for this dread disease.
Thanks to King Duncan for sharing.
What has spurred YOU to leave YOUR comfort zone to reach out and help?
PUT GOD FIRST AND WATCH YOUR LIFE CHANGE!
My Commentary:
Fear is a powerful force—one that can paralyze or propel. For many people, like myself, a childhood encounter with a frightening dog has left a lifelong imprint. The memory of barking, chaos, and helplessness became woven into my sense of vulnerability. Helplessness and vulnerability are still very much with me today.
And yet, history shows us that fear, when paired with compassion, can lead to incredible courage. I cannot tell you how afraid I was 20 years ago when I went to Haiti for the very first time. But that trip changed the entire direction of my life when I combined fear and compassion.
Louis Pasteur stands as a shining example of this paradox. Despite being haunted by the traumatic memory of a rabid wolf terrorizing his childhood village, he did not allow fear to dictate his legacy. Instead, he allowed the memory of others’ suffering—of death, of despair—to ignite a holy fire within him. He left his comfort zone, placed himself in danger, and sought healing not for himself, but for the future victims he had yet to meet.
We all carry fears. Some are deeply rooted in our past. But there are moments when love, justice, or empathy pushes us past our fear and into action. God often works through these moments—nudging us toward a calling we would never have imagined for ourselves. When we step out in faith, we often discover a strength that doesn’t come from within, but from above.
A Reflection Prompt:
What has spurred YOU to leave YOUR comfort zone to reach out and help?
Maybe it was a friend’s illness… a stranger’s pain… a call to serve your community. Was it compassion, faith, or the memory of your own suffering? When we put God first, as the closing line reminds us, we often find our lives aligning with a purpose far greater than fear.
Let this be your prayer:“Lord, turn my fears into fuel for love. Use even the painful memories of my past to awaken compassion in me. Help me to step beyond myself, beyond comfort, and into the mission You are calling me to. With You as my guide, I will walk not in fear, but in faith. Amen.”
