Steady Focus

Pat Summitt was the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee until her health caused her to retire. She passed away recently and will always be considered one of the greatest coaches of all time in any sport. Pat was known for her remarkable commitment and her ability to get the best for and from her athletes.

I was listening to an old interview with her recently and she commented on her coaching philosophy with her teams. She said that offense sells tickets, defense wins games, and rebounding wins championships. Her point was that you can have an off night shooting the basketball, but should never have an off night on defense or rebounding. Unlike a shooting rhythm, the other two actions are predicated mainly on hard work and discipline. Success in those two areas didn’t come down to luck, but was centered on focus, energy, and intensity.

That mindset doesn’t just apply to basketball. While I don’t necessary need to play defense and rebound in my day-to-day life (at least not in the literal sense) I can take that same mentality with my commitment level. I know there will be days when I’m not at the top of my game. It’s in those moments that true grit will be rewarded as I pour my efforts into consistent energy and selfless teamwork. When I recognize things are not as smooth as they might sometimes be, I can still give my focus, energy, and intensity to those around me.

Consistency in effort is a defining mark of character.

That's Sensational!

When I hear certain songs it automatically transports me to another time and memory. It only takes a few bars of a tune to bring me back to high school, dancing with my daughters in the living room, or a special occasion. It's not just auditory stimulus which triggers memory either. Even a particular smell will quickly bring back memories of my grandparent's house, the fires of 1998 we had to evacuate from, or many nights walking on the beach. These are just a few reminders of the incredible power of our senses to trigger vibrant retrospection.

All of our senses create memory pathways and can be used to navigate those trails again when activated. I think we often fall back on the most predominant one--our sight--and neglect to sharpen our other senses. This takes a conscious effort to use all we have at our disposal and not rely simply on what our eyes perceive. I think we'll find our other faculties are actually more powerful for triggering and forging lasting memories. Engaging all of our senses will develop a richer experience we can recall more readily if we are willing to work at it.

Swinging Hard

There's an expression we would use on the golf course when we were facing a long hole. We would grab our biggest club, step up to the tee, and say, "Grip it and rip it!" It was an encouragement to hang on to your club and swing hard for maximum impact. It may not have been the best counsel in every situation, but it helped us focus on the distance of the task at hand. This philosophy could actually be helpful when you were swinging with intense purpose and aim.

I don't know that this is the very best advice for every life situation either, but there is some wisdom in it. When we are assessing difficult circumstances we should exhibit commitment to the process of overcoming. We need to adjust our gaze down the horizon and put our best efforts into finding the solution. Applying maximum effort with intense purpose and aim will help us to be successful even when it appears as if we have a long way to go.

The Right Ditch

I believe there are times when we need to put in extra effort to make a difference. It may be a crisis which needs our attention or a festering weakness which must be addressed. The truth is sometimes there is no substitute for hard work.

The key to hard work being effective is to make sure it's focused in the right area. Putting all our increased emphasis in the wrong direction will make us look busy, but it won't solve the problem. It's like needing a ditch to be dug that runs from north to south while we're digging one that runs from east to west. Increasing our pace, shortening our breaks, and using a bigger shovel brings the appearance of productivity while neglecting the real issue.

Don't be afraid to work hard, but make sure it's the right work too.

The Best

"I'm doing the best I can!"

We won't ever be completely prepared for what life brings us. We won't have all of the knowledge we think we need to accurately process what's happening. No matter how much experience we might have we won't be able to predict the future with 100% accuracy. Even when it seems like we are making the right decision we can't guarantee that the consequences and benefits will unfold how we hoped. This unpredictability is a factor of life.

What I do know is that I can continue to do what I know is right as I am guided by God. I can put my trust in Him above all other things and continue to do the very best that I can in this moment. I can deliberately decide to keep doing what is right and trust that my God (who sees & know all things) will make all things work out for the good of those who love Him. My cry of "I'm doing the best I can!" doesn't have to be one of exasperation, but a confident claim in God's ability to work through the most fulfilling and most trying of my circumstances. It means that I will continue to do the best I can right now and trust that God will reward my faithful intentions.

There is a life-affirming value in bringing our best to the One who is the best.

Incomplete Effort

Last night in the NFL (don't leave non-sports fans--it will be relevant for you in a moment) the Dallas Cowboys lost a game after leading by 20 points at halftime. It was a demoralizing loss that that derailed their positive momentum and leaves them with a bleak outlook on the rest of the season. One of their top players, Dez Bryant, said when asked about their loss, "We fought, but we didn't finish."

How often can that be said about us? When have we worked at an aspect of our lives, but then given up before we completed the job? Where do we fall short due to lack of follow through? This is a common characteristic of human nature. It's why we need constant reminders to strive for the finish line, to persevere through adversity, and follow through on our commitments. It's not enough just to fight for what we believe in. We've got to keep pushing forward until it's complete. 

Search Engine

When we've lost something our natural instinct is to look for it until we find it or become so frustrated that we give up. Our urgency in searching is fueled by our need to locate the object, our indomitable will, and the
value we attach to what we seek. If your child lost a quarter in a pile of leaves you would not expend inordinate effort in trying to find that exact quarter. However, if you misplace a family heirloom in the attic you would lose sleep until you were able to find it again. The urgency with which we seek a lost item is directly proportionate to the value we place on it.

We don't only search for lost personal items, but also for abstract things like truth, validation, purpose, healing, and restoration. These are usually more difficult to find and require greater persistence in our efforts which reveals their personal importance. If it really matters to us then we won't give up easily.

Do you know what matters to you? What answers are you willing to diligently search for? What solutions for your family and your future are you investing in? What spiritual truths do you need to discover? How can you find personal and relationship healing from past brokenness?

These are all things that are worth the investment of energy and attention to find. Don't give up before you do.

March Madness

I love March Madness and the excitement of so many games in such a short period of time. I love great finishes with unexpected winners (and losers) and big shots in big moments. There are some years with heavy favorites to win the title and others years where the field is wide open for whatever team gets hot at the right time. I know that millions (if not billions) of dollars exchange hands throughout the tournament even though I have never been one to place any kind of financial wager on sports (I'm too cheap.) Even though I won't wager on it, I still fill out a bracket for my own competitive nature. I'm fairly well-versed in sports, but I still end up with a so-so bracket because there are simply results that I cannot predict. I could get frustrated about it & maybe if money was exchanging hands I would. I simply credit it to the fact that when human effort and skill is involved, things are not always 100% predictable. Interesting parallel for life, isn't it?