Spent, daring greatly ∙∙
I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know. – Acts 20:27
1 Samuel 17:23-58
23 Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel.
24 As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright.
26 David asked the soldiers standing nearby, who is this pagan Philistine anyway that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”
31 Then, David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him.
32 “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”
33 “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”
37 The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the LORD be with you!”
41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him,
42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy.
43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods.
45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies– the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
47 This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
48 As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him.
49 Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.
50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword.
Theodore Roosevelt, no stranger to criticism or boldness, once penned a powerful reminder: “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.”
Roosevelt celebrated those who, at their best, achieve great triumphs and, at their worst, fail only while daring greatly. “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.”
Many of us hesitate to engage, choosing instead to remain on the sidelines as life unfolds. We avoid failure by not attempting at all, missing out on the potential for growth through trying and failing. The Scriptures tell stories of ordinary individuals who achieved extraordinary feats with the help of the Father. This courage, an inner strength available to all who embrace Biblical faith, empowers us to take action.
What truly matters is not what we possess but that we are possessed by the Father. In other words, it is not what you have that matters; instead, what matters is that the Father has you. In our struggles, we are never alone. Our Good Shepherd is ever-present, watching over us, ready to support and carry us when needed.
How may we illustrate how faith and the Father’s support enable us to rise above our fears and embrace the challenges of the arena?
St. Jerome provided an apt metaphor, “I am like the sick sheep that strays from the rest of the flock. Unless the Good Shepherd takes me on His shoulders and carries me back to His fold, my steps will falter, and in the very effort of rising, my feet will give way.”
Our character and willingness to take risks allow us to take the first step.
“A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble” (Charles Spurgeon).
“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment” (Will Rogers).
“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose” (Bill Gates).
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them” (Walt Disney).
REFLECT & PRAY
Instead of being critical of those who do, do!
Father, grant me the wisdom to discern the right moments to act and the courage to step forward when they arise.
INSIGHT
Courage takes many forms. Sometimes, it charges ahead with boldness; other times, it quietly persists, unwavering and constant. Courage is the mental and moral fortitude that empowers us to confront and endure difficulties, dangers, pain, uncertainty, or intimidation without succumbing to fear.
Spiritual or moral courage, as Richard Zinbarg, Ph. D., describes it, is the capacity to make the right choices in the face of widespread opposition, shame, scandal, discouragement, or personal sacrifice. It is the strength to maintain integrity and act justly, even when the world is aligned against us.
By embracing courage, we choose not just to survive challenges but to rise above them, engaging actively in the world and becoming agents of change and hope.
Father, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference (Niebuhr).
The Scriptures are replete with stories of courageous people who did extraordinary things as they were encouraged and powered by the Father.
Acts 7:55-60
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
1 John 2:28 And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.
Revelation 3:2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” (Edmund Burke).
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people” (Martin Luther King, Jr.).
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© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 