Thanks to the Deseret News for making us aware of this video.
Something about facing your fears tends to put life into perspective—especially when you're about to hurl your body out of an airplane that's hundreds of feet above the sweet, firm surface of the earth.
And that's exactly what happened to well-known actor and musician Will Smith.
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Describing his first skydiving trip with his sons as "terror, terror, terror," Smith reflected on the space between fear and the best things in life.
But once you fall out of the airplane, "In one second, you realize that it's the most blissful experience of your life," Smith says. "You realize that the point of maximum danger is the point of minimum fear. And God placed the best things in life on the other side of fear."
#tbt 2014 ~ God Placed the Best Things in Life on the Other Side of FEAR! A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith) on Apr 26, 2018 at 9:39am PDT
Smith's message of overcoming fear to achieve the best things in life is actually something all Mormons can relate to.
In a 1984 First Presidency message, President Hinckley shared similar thoughts when he talked about fear and faith. Quoting D&C 6:34, 36–37, President Hinckley said:
"Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. . . .
"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.
"Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.”
He also added, "Who among us can say that he or she has not felt fear? I know of no one who has been entirely spared. . . . Let us recognize that fear comes not of God, but rather that this gnawing, destructive element comes from the adversary of truth and righteousness. Fear is the antithesis of faith. It is corrosive in its effects, even deadly."
Elder Boyd K. Packer also talked about the power of having faith over fear in his April 2004 general conference address.
"The Lord Himself encouraged, 'Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come' (D&C 68:6). "
It's amazing to see how gospel messages can relate to our experiences, even if it's something as scary as skydiving.