One of my favorite quotes, which I like to repeat from time to time, is from Theodore Roosevelt who said: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, 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 and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”²

Not long before a close friend of mine died of cancer, I asked him what it felt like to be forty-four and in his predicament. Among a number of things he said, “I feel angry because there was so much more I wanted to do with life. I feel bad about being so busy and not spending more time with my family.” And then, after a thoughtful pause he said, “I can’t help but wonder what I have done with my life that has been truly worthwhile.”

His words were sobering and I know that when I get to the end of my journey and stand before the Savior, I want to know that I have invested my life wisely for eternity and have earned the Savior’s welcome words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Whether we live for forty, eighty, or a hundred years, our time here on earth is but a drop in the ocean compared to eternity. And as Amy Carmichael said, “We have all eternity to celebrate the victories, but only a few short hours to fight and win the battles.” So, let’s keep daring greatly for God!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in glad surrender I yield my life totally to You. Help me to live always for You and invest my life wisely in eternity by being a part of what You are doing in the world today. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. 2 Timothy 4:7.

2. Theodore Roosevelt.