John Hancock, U.S. statesman, patriot, and President of the Continental Congress, was born on this day.

You could never accuse John Hancock of playing it safe. This popular and well-known patriot not only was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence, but he did it with a flourish that none could miss. When it came time to sign the Declaration of Independence, which was an act of treason against England, Hancock remarked, “I’ll sign it in letters bold enough so the King of England can see it without his spectacles on!”

John Hancock was definitely the right man at the right time. At a time when bold leaders were needed, Hancock willingly stepped forward and risked his life for the cause of independence.

Thousands of years earlier, a young Jewish girl had been given a similar opportunity to risk her life for a greater cause. Esther had been chosen as the new queen of Persia. But even in that role, she did not have free access to the king. No one in all of Persia could approach the king without an invitation—or it meant certain death. So when Esther’s cousin informed her of a plot to kill all the Jews in Persia and begged her to ask the king for mercy, Esther’s first response was “I can’t.” But when her cousin pointed out that she was the right person at the right time and place to do so, Esther agreed. Because of her willingness to take a risk, the Jewish people were saved. She, like John Hancock and others, made a difference.

It may not be evident to you, but perhaps God has put you in a special place—at school, in your neighborhood, maybe even at home—where you can make a difference if are willing to take the risk.

“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. What’s more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

To Do

Think about this: what is the greatest risk you have taken? Ask a parent or an adult friend about the greatest risk he or she has taken.

Also on this day . . .

It is National School Nurse Day.

1849—English-born Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in American to receive a medical degree.

1971—The lowest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. was reported on this day in Prospect Creek Camp, Alaska—minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit!

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.