One of my favorite childhood memories came on my eleventh birthday, March 15, 1972. I received a gift that would set me head and shoulders above everyone else in the neighborhood. It was something that would make me the envy of all my friends. I received the coolest bicycle in the world—a real “big boy” bike. I’m telling you, it was so shiny and bright! It had a white frame with a blue glitter banana  seat, blue glitter handles, and tassels. It was indeed the envy of all my friends. To top it off, it had blue tires. That  bike made me the coolest kid in the neighborhood.

I was in the gym training for a competition when I heard a few guys talking about how they were going to compete in a bodybuilding contest one day. “Hmmm,” I thought to myself. “How many times have I heard people TALK about what they were going to do ‘one day’?”

How often do we talk about things we are going to do, want to do or dream of doing and then never do? All too often. I personally have made it a goal not to fall into that category. In my life, I have learned that, when I talk about accomplishing a task, the Lord expects me to follow through.

When Matt Barkley decided to attend and play football at the University of Southern California, visions of conference and national championships surely ran through his mind. But rather than seeing those dreams become reality, he was instead thrust into the role of the man who would lead the cardinal and gold through the darkness of NCAA sanctions. Given the opportunity to transfer or pursue NFL stardom, Barkley instead chose to remain at Southern Cal and now, in the midst of his senior season, he’s rewriting the Pac-12 Conference and Trojan record books.
 

Endurance means putting one foot in front of the other no matter how things are going. At the London Marathon, a lot of the hard parts of that race were talking myself through the rough patches. The marathon is a good analogy for life in general. You’re going to go through those rough patches where you don’t feel good. You can either get down on yourself and cave in and start doing poorly, or you can tell yourself you’re doing great and you’re going to do your best no matter how you’re feeling or how slow you start. I really had to mentally coach myself through some rough patches in that race, and I think that’s the big part of endurance. Tough times are inevitable. They’re going to come.

The context of the verse above indicates a rather materialistic place. Jesus had just addressed being concerned about food, clothing and drink. The issue, though, is greater than “all these things” being added to those who seek and find the Kingdom.

The world’s definition of excellence is just based on performance. As soon as you’re not performing, no one in the media wants to talk to you anymore, and it’s easy to get down on yourself. It’s all wrapped up in performance. It’s like building your house on the sand. It’s very changing and fleeting, and eventually it’s going to be gone because no one is always on top of his or her game. When you find your identity in Christ and in what He’s done for you, it’s the unchanging, sturdy rock that you can always stand on. You can have a much healthier perspective on yourself and in life in general and in where your hope lies. When I’m not performing well, I lose my hope. I lose my joy. I get down. I get depressed.