Welcome to “Athlos” a weekly Wednesday blog which examines pillars of personal excellence and regularly brings together the worlds of spirituality and sport.
It Can Wait
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning and patience is better than pride.” Ecclesiastes 7:8
You Can Wait
What is it about patience that is so virtuous?
Last week, we spoke about Senegal finally breaking through to win the Africa Cup of Nations. That was in the game we call English football or, sometimes, association football. This past weekend it was the turn of American football, with the Los Angeles Rams winning the coveted Super Bowl title.
This was not the Rams’ first win at the National Football League’s (NFL) showpiece event. However, for their quarterback, Matthew Stafford, it was his first and it came after a thirteen-year wait! Twelve of those years were spent with another NFL team, the Detroit Lions, and they were all barren. Who said that 13 was an unlucky number?
The Wisdom Teacher quoted above encouraged patience over pride. Our pride wants instant results, to be in full control and to write the future on our terms. That often leads to much frustration and ongoing irritability.
The alternative option is a willingness to wait. It is a slowing down, a refusal to rush and a surrender to the ultimate wisdom that comes from heaven. This type of patience is joyful, still, well rested, and full of peace. Hard work, commitment and discipline are all involved, but the inner state is tranquil and unhurried.
Life is an enigmatic mixture of optimism and anticipation juxtaposed against uncertainty and risk. We cannot determine the future, but we can surely navigate the present. Senegal waited, they won. Stafford waited, he won. Whoever first said it was bang on target: Good things come to those who wait.
We All Can Wait
When we focus on enjoying the journey and learning from it, we don’t even realize how much time has passed and how much we’ve grown.
If you were inspired by this blog, please consider sharing it with one other person today. To learn more about these and other related themes that promote the cultivation of an integrated inner self, read UNBEATABLE! which is available on Amazon in print and as an e-book.
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Nuggets of gold !
Much appreciated, Shane!