There had always been a part of him that felt defective. He felt inferior in school even though his grades weren’t terrible and he had his share of friends. His elementary years were filled with insecurity for no reason he could actually define.

Of course, he didn’t admit his feelings of inferiority to anyone. No, he wore bravado like armor and hoped no one noticed the insecure boy beneath. He became the class daredevil, taking every dare issued and usually faring quite well. The stunts were exciting and earned him the approval of his classmates—if not his teachers. But that deep reservoir inside him seemed to empty as soon as it filled, as if it bore a gaping hole.

Then his freshman year he shot up several inches and began getting facial hair. The girls noticed him, even the pretty, popular ones, and that went a long way toward restoring his self-confidence. But it was false security based on the shallowest terms. The sudden attention had nothing to do with who he was or how much he was worth.

It wasn’t until Sophie came along that he began to grow in that area. Sophie had high expectations. She was the first person who told him he was creative, that he was smart. She encouraged him. Believed in him. When he was with her he felt stronger and more capable. He felt worthy.

She established an important foundation he would later build on. His success at Extreme Adventures had furthered those feelings of value. He was blessed with a successful career that paid his bills and then some. Still those things were based on what he did—not who he was.

It wasn’t until he resumed going to church and growing spiritually that he was introduced to the idea that his worth, everyone’s worth, was God-given, intrinsic. There was nothing anyone—not even his mother—could do to take away his innate value.

This concept had been working beneath the surface for a few years now, but after Monday night he wasn’t sure he’d fully embraced it. He’d said some regrettable things to Sophie. And when she’d lost her temper the conflict and tension had lit that spark of fear inside him. It kindled the fires of his insecurity. He’d been angry with her because she’d been right. His feet had itched to leave because he’d known, as sure as the sun rose the next morning, Sophie would leave him too.

And he couldn’t bear for that to happen. So he’d left her first, just like she’d said. How could a man who jumped from the sky without reservation lack the courage to love?

The sound of cheering pulled him from his reverie. The Braves had scored another run, putting them up by three. But the ball game held little appeal in light of his sudden realization.