Dare!

I hear a word Inside my heart

That dances like lightning

Across every fiber of my being

I hear the whispers of rhetoric echoing

Do I have what it takes to Dare?

To Dare is Audacious

and that's when I realized

just how big this 4 letter word is...

It asks a question

and at the same time

Makes a statement

Because the Dare

Is the lock on the door

and the key that opens it!

What a brilliant example

of duality if you ask me

Do I dare?

Dare to do what I asked myself?

Dare to look fear in the face

Bravely dare to believe

Dare to be bold

Dare to reach

Dare to let my guard down

and live vulnerably...

I am

and everyday, I dare a little more…

I know there is so much more

Than where I am right now

I’ve felt that so strongly

For a very long time

Like contractions

Just before birth brings forth life

I can’t deny

That life is squeezing me so tightly Strong-arming me

Across the ferocious fires of adversity

Using every tactic imaginable

To shut me down, wipe me out

and silence my voice...

Because the enemy of my soul

Is as desperate to stop me

As I am, to take hold of my purpose

and even when I feel discouraged

By the voices of insecurity

Screaming inside that I’m not enough

Quick to remind me of failures and past

I’ve lived on the sidelines

Of my own life long enough

Convinced that was the best option

After the mistakes I’ve made

Shame rears its ugly head

Trying to convince me it’s too late

My heart tells me otherwise...

Each dare asks a question

My response comes

Through the action I take

I believe that I can

Though sometimes feeling unsure

I take a step and I trust

that God put everything inside me

That I’ll ever need

To be everything He dreamed of

When He breathed his life into me!

This is what faith looks like in motion

With every step I take

I am transformed

Into someone whose courageous

Daring will lead me

To stand face to face

With that familiar old foe named fear

Relentless he stands

In front of each door

and if I can just remember

that fear‘s nothing more

Than a tiny mouse

Casting a monster size shadow

There to dangle its bait

Shatter my focus

Paralyze me with feelings

Unanswered questions like “what if”

So I don’t take a step

Fight or flight sends me running

back to safe and familiar

Without ever returning

To open up that door

Remain chained to illusions

The "sure things" called comfort and secure

They're the bricks that built the walls

In my life's unwalled prison

Ignoring the dare

The call of my heart

Denies the call of my creator

and I know one thing for sure

The choice is mine and I choose

To let go by taking the dare

This is what faith looks like in motion

Trusting that I am already everything God has created me to be

regardless of how I feel or what I see with my eyes

and knowing that the desire in my heart

is the proof that it is possible!

So...

I take a deep breath and hold it

I say to myself, I’m ready…

Then I breathe out, let go and dare!

Authored by: Elizabeth Schilling