Most athletes, or even us non-athletes who've played some sports, can sit around with our buddies and share stories of the biggest hits we've had or the best plays we've ever made. We remember the good ole days whether it was Dixie Youth, Rec League, high school, or even backyard pickup games where we made some of our most amazing plays ever. And for high school athletes looking to earn college scholarships, coaches will often go through hours of film to pull out the plays that showcase their player's talent, skill, and strength at its best. Sportscenter has become famous for its daily top 10 plays. We all like to see the highlights.
But the highlight reels that we often see leave something out. They leave out our failures. They leave out our grind that it took to develop the skills to make those big plays. You don't just get up off the couch one day and decide you'll go play a sport or compete in an event at a high level. It's not as easy as they make it look on TV. It takes countless hours of effort, hurt, and work to become great at anything.
The past couple weeks, social media has been flooded with pictures of graduates, awards, and accomplishments from many proud friends and family. But what those pictures didn't show is the hours of studying, homework, reading, and likely failing at some point during the years. Yes, we saw the highlights and the achievements. And we relish in those accomplishments as well, but don't leave out the struggle. That's what makes us who we are. Pope Paul VI shared this, "All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life. The very striving and hard work that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today."
I don't know what you consider your highlights today. You may be like me and your athletic highlights are now only memories - fond memories, but memories nonetheless. And as we grow, our highlights change. Your highlights now may be your career, your salary, your house, your kids, your car, or something else entirely. But only you know the struggle that it took to make it, the struggle it took to earn those things, the struggle it takes to keep it all together and keep going. Highlight reels are nice, but the real triumph is in the daily struggle - the work, effort, and time that goes into those 10 seconds of excellence whether it's making the game winning play, walking across the stage, or finally getting that promotion.
"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11
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