Of Champions and Saints

There is no glory in doing what’s easy. Sure, what’s easy gets the job done quickly and painlessly, but it does not carry the blood, sweat, and tears that bear witness to the extent and depth of the glory.


No athlete, artist, or entrepreneur has ever received recognition or breakthrough from doing what’s easy.


In the same way, there are no miracles in magic. Magic is often a momentary illusion, a glimpse of the impossible that vanishes as quickly as it appears. It’s often founded on lies and misdirection, though it leaves its witnesses stunned and awestruck by its wit.


Miracles can be more mundane. They don’t carry fairy dust or come with the flash and flare of the stage, often they happen behind the scenes in the midst of quiet desperation. When hope has been lost and the task at hand feels impossible, the scene is set for the miraculous to have its debut. People may doubt it, some may be skeptical, but those who receive the miracle are forever transformed. Life cannot be the same after a miracle has happened — it’s not a trick or some slight of hand, but an actual work of wonder.


This is why champions and saints have reached seemingly unattainable heights. They did not choose what was easy, they did not stop when obstacles seemed impossible to overcome or when everyone around them seemed to be against them. They believed beyond hope and endured far beyond their limitations. They dared to believe that miracles could happen regardless of what they had been told was possible. They chose to embrace difficulty and ended up receiving glory.



originally published: November 13, 2016