Let us run with perseverance,
the race marked out for us.
—Hebrews 12:1
After receiving a late-night $100 million contract, making him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL at the time, J.J. Watt hit the weight room at 4 a.m. the following morning.
Excellence requires 100 percent. Settling for 50, 75, or even 95 percent falls short.
To the lethargic, excellence gets reduced to acceptable; acceptable gives way to adequate; from there, mediocrity is just around the corner.
The writer who opts out of another edit . . . and another . . . and another, may have passable material but probably isn’t producing a “Wow!” read.
The athlete who rejects strenuous practice may have exceptional talent but is an unlikely candidate for Heisman class.
The believer who neglects to run the Christian race with perseverance may be a hail-fellow-well-met but not a credible contender for the gold medal podium.
Commit to investing the time and persistence to get it right.