Dare Greatly

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.

─ 1 Corinthians 16:13 NKJV

The following is an excerpt from a speech Teddy Roosevelt gave in Paris in 1910. It paints a vivid image of what it means to dare greatly:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

We want to be brave with our life of faith. When we step out in faith and dare to do the seemingly impossible, then God meets us mid-air and bridges the gap. To live our lives to please Christ, it requires courage and a willingness to step outside what’s comfortable.

In this world it’s all too common to find ourselves in a place that requires us to choose courage, step out and dare greatly.

Today’s One Thing

What is holding you back from doing that daring thing in your life? Ask the Lord to help you step out boldly in faith today and take action.

Receive Devotionals like This in Your Email