"Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus."
"But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too."
Two takeaways:
- Choose hard.
- Shoot for the moon.
These two approaches come together beautifully in the words of Pope Benedict XVI (Spe Salvi, 2007, para. 33),
Humans were created for greatness—for God himself; we were created to be filled by God. But our hearts are too small for the greatness to which it is destined. It must be stretched. “By delaying [his gift], God strengthens our desire; through desire he enlarges our soul and by expanding it he increases its capacity [for receiving him]”. Augustine refers to Saint Paul, who speaks of himself as straining forward to the things that are to come (cf. Phil 3:13).
God has called us to do the work of building His Kingdom on earth and in heaven. Work requires effort and toil. Our work has temporal and eternal significance.
A moonshot won't be easy. But it will be worth it.
Keeping dreaming big for God. Keep choosing hard so that these God-worthy dreams come true.
For His greater glory.
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| Back of a shirt from the Rockne Athletics Fund at the University of Notre Dame. Choose hard. |
