Every once in a while, life will present me with the opportunity to see the reason behind a saying. Today, I gained that knowledge because of a status a friend of mine posted on Facebook. You see, lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to have heart. Not have a heart, but to have heart in everything you do. You know, like a relentless quest that keeps pushing you to press past anything in your way. Determination, drive, a will to do, get, and be better. Here’s the perfect story that illustrates a real life example of what I’m trying to say:
“I go to the gym just about every morning at 8am or so. Every morning I have gone this semester there has been this kid who practices basketball all by himself
He is pretty overweight and wears glasses and you can tell he just plays for fun early when no one is there. All he really does is chunk the ball with one arm from half court the whole time for about an hour. He always misses the backboard
I can’t lie, after I read this, I had a slight tear in my eye. It just made me so happy. I even commented on the status thanking my friend for sharing this story with us. It’s just a nice and simple reminder in today’s rushed, complicated world. I love the story. But most of all, I love that that kid has heart. That’s what life is all about.
It’s about being knocked down, but still getting up, dusting yourself off, and trying again anyway. It’s about the odds continuously being stacked against you, but you press on anyway. It’s about trying, even if you might fail. It’s about trying that 100th time, even if you missed the shot the first 99 times. Why? Because you never know. Life’s funny like that… You just never know which shots you’ll make, and which shots you’ll miss. Try, anyway. Life just might surprise you and you might end up making it by a long shot when everything/everyone around you says “you can’t.” Don’t you give up. Keep trying, keep going.
It’s important in life to have heart. It’s important to dedicate yourself to something other than yourself. It doesn’t have to be some glorious philanthropic project designed to win you accolades, either. Just find something that you can put your heart into, and pursue it. Sometimes that’s how we find ourselves. I know I find bits and pieces of myself in the things that I write. I will write something, and people that I don’t even know will acknowledge something I’ve written and they show me something new about myself. I appreciate that. Not because I’m narcissistic, but because it’s nice to be able to see yourself through someone else’s eyes. It’s a nice affirmation to validate yourself. It’s nice to place your hands above your head and silently cheer yourself on, just like that kid did today. :)
What this kid didn’t know, is that he was being watched and that his own perseverance would speak to many people. It reminds me, myself, to keep pressing towards the goal. I just want to encourage y’all to keep the faith, keep the fight. Just keep pressing towards whatever shot it is you’ve been trying to take, and maybe haven’t made yet. If you quit trying, you’ll never make it. That’s when you lose, is when you give up. So keep taking those steps to press on towards the goal. Don’t take your eye off the prize. Put your heart into it, and get after it. All the talent, education, skill, time, and money in the world doesn’t matter if you don’t have heart. You’ve got to have an unrelenting passion to go after whatever goal it is you’re shooting for. So find whatever it is that fuels you, and go. Be blessed!
Faith, by fire. 