The Importance of Tenacity

I apologize for no post yesterday.  Catching up from being out of town has proven to be a bigger task than I thought it would be, with the kids’ busy schedules this week.  That said, today’s post is recycled from a year ago.  But it’s a good post, and I know I needed a reminder about the importance of tenacity.

Yesterday I spent the morning at the soccer fields, watching my kids play soccer. As I watched my 10 year old daughter’s game, I thought back to when she started playing soccer in 2nd grade.

You see, my daughter takes after me. She’s not very athletic. In fact, when she first told me she wanted to play soccer, I was very surprised. But I like to encourage my children to try new things, so I signed her up. I figured she’d play one season and quit. Not so.

She ended up with a wonderful coach. A coach who gave her a chance and encouraged her, even though she was afraid of the ball. Even though she was the slowest runner on her team. She liked playing for her coach so much, that she signed up for soccer the next season. And the next.

Now she’s in her 6th season. As I watched her play yesterday, I marveled at how much her game has improved. She’s not the star of the team, who kicks all the goals, but she’s become a great defensive player. She knows her purpose, and she does her job well.

I think there’s a lesson to be learned from my daughter. Tenacity matters. In second grade, my daughter knew she was the slowest kid on the team, but she didn’t quit.

In the same way, when I’m trying to pay off my debt, no matter how slow I am, no matter the fact that I seem to be way behind my neighbors financially, I can’t quit. By sticking with it, I’ll reach the goal.

It’s also important to have a good coach. My daughter’s coach encouraged her to be the best soccer player she could be. He didn’t compare her to the other girls on the team. He encouraged her to do her best.

As a Christian, my coach is the Lord. He’s interested in helping me develop my talents and skills according to how He gifted me. He’s interested in how I serve Him. Not in how I measure up in relation to my friends.

The reason I strive to be frugal is that I want to make the best use of the resources God has given me. I’m not there yet. I’m constantly learning. I frequently make mistakes. But I continue to grow. I continue to learn. I continue to look to my coach for guidance.

You don’t have to be a naturally gifted athlete to play a good soccer game. You don’t have to be a naturally frugal person to manage your money well. The importance is in the desire to learn and the tenacity to stick with it when times get tough.

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