Cathy Rigby was a member of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team in the 1972 Olympics at Munich, and she had only one goal in mind–to win a gold medal. She had trained hard over a long period. On the day she was scheduled to perform, she prayed for the strength and the control to get through her routine without making mistakes. She was tense with determination not to let herself or her country down. She performed well, but when it was all over and the winners were announced, her name was not among them. Cathy was crushed. Afterward, she joined her parents in the stands all set for a good cry. As she sat down, she could barely manage to say, “I’m sorry. I did my best.” “You know that, and I know that,” her mother said, “and I’m sure God knows that too.” Then, Cathy recalls, her mother said 10 words that she has never forgotten: “Doing your best is more important than being the best.”
The word of the day is “best.” Do your best.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV) “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,”
Sometimes things take a little longer to come to fruition than we would like. At the end of the day, all that matters is, “Did you do your best?”
When God wants to make an oak tree, He takes a hundred years. When He wants to make a squash he requires only two months.”
We are producing too many squashes and not enough oak trees in our day.
Do your best, no matter how long it takes or no matter how slow the progress.