Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure…than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt

This is my very favorite quote. It spurs me on to fight for what I want in life and not to be scared of failure. ARE YOU SCARED to chase after your dreams? Much of my life I have been slowed down by fear or believing that I was not enough. I had the fire in my belly to run after things, but the voice in my head telling me I was incapable often squelched that fire. Teddy reminds us to just go after it!

To look back at life and see that we played it safe or took the wide road doesn’t seem like much of a victory at the finish line. I don’t want to have regrets…at least not any additional ones! Although I hate the pain, I learn so much from my failures and I always know I am going to be strengthened. So we might as well go for it. If we fall flat on our faces the worst thing that is going to happen is that God is going to strengthen us through it! Doesn’t sound quite as terrible now, does it?

However before you take off sprinting, you should pray first and ask for God’s guidance. Click this link to read Is It God’s Will or My Will?  It will show you how to pray and be confident that God is the one guiding you down the path you have dreamed of. I feel like I should advise you to ask for wise counsel when daring to dive in, but I have frequently not been surrounded by wisdom. I have often had emotional and fearful counsel, so I will let you analyze that for yourself. I am guessing though if you had wise counsel to support you, you probably wouldn’t still be reading this!  

Dare to be all that God created you to be. That is why he put you here. God didn’t give you a spirit of fear. The world gave you that. It is not of God. I repeat….the spirit of fear in your heart is NOT OF GOD. It is no accident that there are 365 scriptures in the Bible telling us not to fear. One for EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. So stop living in fear, right now! TODAY! Promise? No more fear. Draw a line in the sand (or carpet or dust) and decide that you are no longer going to be hindered to go after your dreams. Today it changes! Don’t be afraid to fail. Do not choose to live your life “in a gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat”. You were created for much more than that by the Creator of the entire universe!

Let’s outline some practical steps to achieving your goals. First, make sure your plans are God honoring (if you have a Christian mentor then bounce the idea off of them.) Second, pray over your dreams. (Read Is It God’s Will or My Will? if you haven’t yet). Third, wait for God’s timing and opportunity. Lastly, get after it. If God isn’t in it, he will shut the door and you need to decide to be okay with that. Why would you want to pursue something that wasn’t God’s will anyway? Welcome to daring mighty things and winning glorious triumphs even if they are checkered by failure. I’ll see you at the finish line with a job well done!

2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.