"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 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 up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic,"
Speech at the Sorbonne,Paris
Speech at the Sorbonne,
Take a moment and reread this famous quote by Teddy Roosevelt. Give it great thought and care. Ask yourself this question, “Who are my critics?” If pen and paper are not at your disposal make a mental list of those people who seem to be sandpaper to your life. Who are those men and women that seem to watch and critique your every move? How many do you have-one, five, ten, more?
I believe critics, or adversaries as some may call them, are a gift for those seeking to push back the darkness. They are a gift to us because we live in a technological world of artificial communication and false pretenses. Sometimes their criticisms knock the wind out of us but isn’t it is a breath of fresh air to have people with enough guts and honesty to shake a closed fist at us even though sometimes it is with a middle finger! Critics are the life blood to the man striving to impact others. Critics keep a man constantly on edge with their constant resistance. Where there are no critics there is anonymity. Life is too short to be satisfied with anonymity.
“It is not the critic who counts” but a man must count his critics.
Think about it. How can a man passionately pursue light and goodness while on this dark and evil world without the darkness pushing back? Men are wired to be difference makers but how many have settled for mediocrity by surrendering their passions for comfort.
Proverbs 27: 17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Whether we like it or not our critics are sharpening agents that cause us to look at life with the eye of the hunter before moving. Like the cougar tracks I recently found in my hunting spot, it invigorates me to know someone, or something, may be watching my every move. When I sharpen my knives I start with a coarse stone that literally chips the steel off my blade creating a sharp, albeit unrefined edge. It isn’t until I pass over the blade with the medium and finally the honing stone that the blade has the durability to maintain its edge. Critics bring that rough edge of resistance to our lives.
Men who make a difference should be desperate for critics. To reject passivity is to accept criticism. You cannot have both. You cannot make a Kingdom impact without it. Look at the words of Jesus, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it (Matthew 11:12).”
Sit in your comfortable church and sing “Count your Blessings” or stand against the violent darkness and count your critics. Commit with the men of this country to live your life in such a way that your “place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
