Thursday, September 20, 2007

Heart


I love to watch people who have passion for whatever they are doing. I don't care if it is mopping the floor in an ice cream shop or spreading fertilizer on someone's lawn, if their heart is in it, I love that.

I've even caught myself t times saying, "I don't agree with what they are saying, but at least they are passionate about it."

It all has to do with heart. Zig Ziglar has this to say on this subject in his book Something to Smile About:

Some things cannot be measured, and the heart is one of them. I think of three former NFL football stars. Mike Singletary, according to the experts, was too short and his 40-yard speed was not that great. However, they could not measure his heart and they did not measure his speed for the first five to fifteen yards, and at that distance he was exceptionally fast. As a result, when a running back broke through the line of scrimmage . . . Singletary was able to stop him in the first couple of yards. That made quite a difference.

Emmitt Smith's 40-yard speed was not earth shattering. . .but again, the experts could not measure his heart nor the burst of speed he was able to generate the instant he touched the ball. As a result, he was able to break through the hole at the line and pick up five to eight yards on a consistent basis and frequently break for much longer runs.

Jerry Rice is the other classic example. His 40-yard speed also was not record-breaking, but his commitment to excellence was not measurable. Videotape of Jerry Rice shows him running stride for stride downfield with a defensive back until the pass is thrown to him. At that point, Jerry turns on the afterburners and frequently leaves the defensive back well behind.

There's something here for all of us to learn. We can measure I.Q., speed, strength and a host of other things, but the will to win and the commitment to excellence will enable a person of average ability to excel. So, use what you've got, including your heart.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVE Mike Singletary. Future head coach of the Baylor BEARS!!!

Rick said...

So there's hope for me yet! Hehehe