Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up

Some of you may have noticed that ESPN has been running events and promos highlighting the Jimmy V foundation during the past couple of weeks. Jim Valvano, or Jimmy V as he is more affectionately called, was the head coach of the NC State team that pulled a miraculous upset over Hakeem Olajwon and the University of Houston to win the 1983 national championship in basketball. The jubilation and excitement was evident as Jimmy V danced across the court. This normally would be the thought of as the greatest moment in a head coach's career. Jimmy V was not your normal basketball coach. His last mission after being diagnosed with cancer was to start a foundation to help save lives by helping find cures for cancer. His speech from the 1993 ESPY awards program still plays 15 years later on national TV and has millions of hits on YouTube. Cancer didn't defeat Jimmy V....it gave him focus for his passion and his perseverance created a lasting legacy.

Hearing Jimmy V's famous speech, my thoughts can't help but to turn to Philippians 3:13-14 "...Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Acts 20:24 teaches us a similar lesson in regards to focus "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to God's grace." If we can stay passionate in our focus for sharing God's grace, then we can say like Paul at the end of his life "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).

So, what can we do to press on and finish the race strong? Well, we can be prepared through: 1) staying in constant communication with God through prayer, 2) reading the playbook (Bible), 3) spending time in the video room (remembering what God has done in our own lives), and 4) having a group of mentors/friends that provide God-guided counsel. Utilizing these tools to be solidly prepared, we can more fully understand God's love and grace and share why no one should ever want to be separate from God. As we are in the midst of the Christmas season, do you know of someone who needs to know God's love more? What good words will you have for them?