WOW Word-Of-the-Week #276: Faith
November 7, 2009 by Susan Clarke
Faith – strong or unshakeable belief in something.
Do you have a strong or unshakeable belief in something? Can you keep going even in the face of defeat? Are you finding in these trying times that you need to reinvent yourself?
Ready, Set, GO!
This week Meb Keflezighi won the New York Marathon and was the first American to do so in twenty-seven years. What makes the story remarkable was “a lot people were writing him off, saying he was too old,” said Ryan Hall, the second-fastest marathoner ever and, at 27, considered the country’s future. “This is a cutthroat business. You’re only as good as your last race.”
Meb, at 34, was recovering from a hip injury and had never won a marathon. He had won a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics but then failed miserably to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. At one point he considered quitting. He said, “I knew I had this God-given talent that hadn’t been tapped into yet.”
Meb’s 2009 season has been incredible. He set a personal record in January in the half marathon and then broke it in September. He won three national championships. “I just had this feeling it’d be a great year,” he said. I’d say that he had faith! It took five tries before he won. They say that what he did at his age, with his hip injuries is amazing.
The sportscaster Toni Reavis said, “It’s not just a running lesson. It’s a lesson in life he gave all of us. It’s possible when you’re at the lowest depths that you can still resurrect yourself. He did it. He made it home.”
This week focus on faith. Do you have a God-given talent that hasn’t been tapped into yet? Do you have a strong or unshakeable belief in yourself? Can you stay focused and keep going even if someone says you can’t?
Reader Responses
“Faith is something that we can’t see with our eyes but we can feel it in our hearts. There are many people who claim that faith is a crutch. But it is more than that. It is a belief not only in oneself but a higher power that good will come out of any circumstance, if we just open our hearts and minds to the possibilities of our lives. We have all heard about people who have taken leaps of faith and been rewarded. When we take that leap, we don’t know what will happen but we believe that it is a chance we must take. After all, so much in life is a chance. But that chance at something reaffirming in our lives is one worth taking. My own faith was inculcated in my religious upbringing at a young age, but it was complemented by a positive mental attitude. I was taught at a young age to expect the best. Once we expect the best, we can’t be disappointed. Carole King had a hit record in the mid-70s entited, “I Wanna Believe (in Humanity),” which talked about having faith in our fellow man. We need to keep that faith every day. The best is indeed yet to come. Great word, Susan. Take care.” – “Warrior” Joe Moran.