Watching sports on high definition televisions can create a front row atmosphere, experiencing the thrill of victory and agony of defeat as if you are in attendance. Amazing upsets like the 1980 U.S. Hockey team stunning the U.S.S.R. in the semi-finals of the Olympics brought you inside the Lake Placid arena. Americans celebrated in the streets as if they were on the winning team, uniting a nation during the Cold War. This is how I felt yesterday, as I watched Phil Mickelson do the unthinkable, shooting a final round 66, 5 under par in extreme conditions, to win his first Open Championship and 5th major overall.
According to the dictionary, perseverance means “to be steadfast in doing something despite any difficulties or delays in achieving success”. Whether you are an athlete, businessman, student or writer, failure, rejection and setbacks are par for the course. Reaching your dreams and goals in life is not a walk in the park. Rather, one should expect to face mountains, obstacles and valleys to pass before you experience the summit of success. Therefore, if you have recently endured a heart breaking loss, don’t waste another day pouting. Instead, get up from the ground, say a prayer like Psalm 4:1 and ask God for a spirit of tenacity to achieve the abundant life, John 10:10. In doing this, may you be ful-phil-ed.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 