Dear Friends
There are few things more important to the success of an individual
than perseverance. The late football player and former Stanford football coach
Dennis Green was fond of saying. “The secret of success is to start from
scratch and keep on scratching.”
As a former coach, I admire the quality of that kind of perseverance. James
writes, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when
he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has
promised to those who love him.” James 1:12. I want to be steadfast in my love
for Jesus, so that I, too, might wear the crown of life.
Our brother Paul writes, “And let us not grow weary of doing good
for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9.
It has been said that it is always
too soon to quit, and even if the outcome has already been decided, I still
want to give it my all and be able to say with the Apostle Paul, "I have
fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now
there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to
all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
A number of years ago I copied the following material from one of
John Maxwell’s many books, but unfortunately, I did not note the title
nor do I remember the book. Maxwell wrote, “There is an old saying:
Champions don't become champions in the ring - they are merely recognized
there. Joe Frazier, the former heavyweight champion of the world, said ‘if you
want to see where someone develops into a champion, look at his daily routine.’
Fraser remarked, ‘You can map out a fight plan or a life plan. But when the
action starts, you are down to your reflexes. That is where your road work
shows. If you cheated on that in the dark of the morning, you're getting found
out now under the bright lights.’”
Maxwell then went on to discuss how President Teddy Roosevelt was
such an incredible example of perseverance in sharing Roosevelt’s famous boxing
analogy.
“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, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows in the end
the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least
fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold
and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Maxwell goes on to provides the following information on
Roosevelt’s perseverance. “On January 6, 1919, at his home in New York, Teddy
Roosevelt died in his sleep. Then Vice President George Marshall said, ‘Death
had to take him sleeping, for if Roosevelt had been awake, there would have
been a fight.’
When they removed him from his bed, they found a book under his
pillow. Up to the very last, Teddy Roosevelt was still striving to learn and to
improve himself.”
Becoming better at whatever you do, takes perseverance. It takes a
never say die attitude, and attitude that fights through every challenge and
every obstacle that stands in the way of success.
I leave you with another one of Teddy Roosevelt’s famous quotes:
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t
have the strength.” (quote taken from the internet)
Don’t quit at whatever you would seek to do or become, for success
may be just around the corner. Keep scratching!
Yours in faith and friendship,
Tom
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