Mile 817.3/1000
What is good, my friends?
Out on my 1000 Mile Walk with God today.
And can we just celebrate this for a second?
817.3 miles.
That's right! We are officially over 800. Which feels like a big deal.
I don't know if there's supposed to be confetti, a finish-line banner, or someone waiting at the end of the street with BYU Creamery chocolate milk, but I'm choosing to celebrate anyway. 😄
Also, the sun was directly in my eyes this morning, so I'm pretty sure I got all my vitamin D for the day in about seven minutes.
Very efficient, right?!?
Anyway, I've been thinking about something I saw on social media.
I try to train my algorithm to show me good things.
Good food. Good music. Faith-filled content. People sharing light. People trying to point others toward God.
There really is a lot of goodness out there if you show that algorithm who's boss.
The other day, I saw a young Christian guy sharing his excitement about the gospel, and I loved his energy.
He said something I've heard many times over the years:
"God says 'do not fear' 365 times in the scriptures, one for every day of the year."
And I get why people love that idea.
It's clean, memorable, and encouraging. And it would make a great handout.
And honestly, I've probably shared some version of it before in seminary. 😄
But this time, I thought: "I wonder if that's actually true."
Not because I wanted to disprove the message.
I absolutely believe God does not want us to live in fear.
But 365 just felt a little too neat and tidy.
So I started looking. I searched the phrase "do not fear" in the King James Version, and it doesn't show up exactly 365 times.
Then you start adding related phrases (fear not, be not afraid, neither be afraid, and all the beautiful variations) and the number grows.
Then if you bring in the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the words of living prophets and apostles, the message becomes even stronger.
And here's what I loved: The truth is bigger than the cute, handout version.
God doesn't just tell us not to fear once a day.
He teaches it again and again and again.
Maybe not just daily.
Maybe hourly.
Maybe minutely.
Which I'm not sure is a word, but we're going with it. 😄
Because fear is so dang persistent.
It shows up in our homes, businesses, relationships, health, parenting, decisions, and in the quiet places of our hearts where we wonder if everything is going to be okay.
And God keeps inviting us back to faith.
Not because scary things aren't real.
They are.
Not because life is easy.
It's not.
But because God is real.
And He is good.
And He is with us.
Sometimes we love little phrases because they're tidy and cute.
But the gospel is better than tidy and cute.
It is deep, repetitive, patient, and so powerful.
God's message is not just:
"Don't fear today."
It feels more like:
"Don't fear this moment. Don't fear this decision. Don't fear this conversation. Don't fear this unknown. Don't fear this next step. I am with you."
So my little thought from today's walk is this:
If fear is loud today, lean into faith.
God is not limited to one reminder per day.
He will keep reminding you as often as you need.
And if you need that reminder every minute?
He is that good.
Thanks for being part of this little B.O.M.Socks community. I'm grateful we get to walk through faith, family, scripture, humor, fear, courage, vitamin D, and real life together.
Godspeed!
Derek Crimin
B.O.M.Socks CEO and Excellent Sock Model