Perseverance…

Boys, as much as it pains me to tell you…your life is going to be ripe with disappointment. Failure is going to happen more often than you think, no matter how awesome you are. You will succumb to pressure on occasion. You will make terrible choices. You will lose. I am speaking from personal experience here. It’s all “happened” to me. Your dad has screwed up, failed, lost, given into pressure, and made terrible choices.

Guess what? I’m still here.

Still hoping and dreaming. Still working my butt off. Still striving. Still praying. Still trusting in God. Still filling my role for those I love.

Why? Because life doesn’t just go on, it gets better. Every time you face adversity, you learn. You grow stronger. You have an opportunity to shine and be honorable. You succeed.

Perseverance is one of those intangibles you will hear talked about in locker rooms, board rooms, dinner tables and pews for the rest of your life. It binds people together. It is the virtue that makes you more than you were yesterday, more than you think you are. It is faith. It is hope. It is the thing that picks you up when you get knocked flat. It tells you from the recesses of your soul that you are never out of the fight. It is a gift from God, and it must be nurtured and trained like so many other things we will discuss as you grow older.

The formula is simple; Get up. Heal up. Learn. Move forward.

It is the secret to a successful and meaningful life. It is the stuff of legends. The stuff of life. Anything is possible with Him who made you and the world. He is your strength.

Let perseverance be your story.

Never give up.