Welcome to the eighth post in our series pulling principles from Sports, Business, Christian Faith and Personal relationships. If this is your first time discovering this content, please go back and read to the ones you’ve missed. From this series, we are taking the strongest lessons and principles that align with our values and character and using them to construct our own solid personal life blueprints. Now we will explore Faith, Trust and Resilience in the areas of Sports, Business Christian Faith and personal relationships.
Faith, Trust and Resilience
Faith is a strong belief or trust in something, often without tangible proof or evidence.
Trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.
Resilience is the ability to bounce back from difficult situations, setbacks, or adversity, and to adapt and thrive despite challenges.
Sports
How do faith and trust play into sports? Where does an athlete place his/her faith and trust? In their own skills, training and preparation—if it is a team sport, in their teammates, in their coach and their coach’s guidance, strategies, and leadership. We have some amazing examples of players that are on the big stage that have shared their faith in Christ, such as Brock Purdy the quarter back for the San Francisco 49er’s Super Bowl 2024. Purdy, the third string quarterback for the 49’er’s, becomes the starting quarterback after injuries to both quarterbacks ahead of him and he takes his team to the Super Bowl. There he shared his faith as a Christian. His best-known quote is “Win or Lose I will glorify God”. Such a testament of his faith!
Let’s now look at the area of resilience in sports. I could do a whole post on how athletes display resilience! I mentioned in an earlier post, how much I love watching March Madness, the national college basketball playoffs. I especially loved watching the extraordinary college women this year. Caitlin Clark and her phenomenal basketball skills brought millions of viewers to women’s basketball. Everything from her record breaking 3-point shooting during the tournament to the number of assists for which she was acknowledged. What I most admired most was the resilience she displayed when they came up short and didn’t win the National Championship title. Her integrity and sportsmanship were unbelievable. What she did for women’s basketball was historical. Her resilience is a great example.
Business
An example of a unique story in business that demonstrates trust, faith, and resiliency is the story of SpaceX and its founder, Elon Musk. In the early 2000s, SpaceX faced numerous challenges and setbacks as it sought to develop affordable space transportation and make space exploration more accessible. Musk, who had made his fortune as a co-founder of PayPal, invested much of his personal wealth into SpaceX, facing significant financial risks. Despite multiple failed rocket launches and near-bankruptcy, Musk remained resolute in his vision of revolutionizing the space industry. He believed in the potential of reusable rockets to drastically reduce the cost of space travel, even when many experts doubted the feasibility of such technology. Through sheer determination and faith in his team’s capabilities, Musk and SpaceX achieved several historic milestones, including becoming the first privately-funded company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft. Throughout the journey, Musk instilled a culture of innovation, trust, and resilience within SpaceX, empowering his team to push the boundaries of what was thought possible in space exploration. Today, SpaceX stands as a testament to the power of trust, faith, and resiliency in overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges and achieving extraordinary feats.
Faith
A familiar example of faith, trust, and resilience in Christian faith can be seen in the biblical story of Joseph. Despite facing betrayal by his brothers, being sold into slavery, and enduring unjust imprisonment, Joseph remained faithful to God and trusted in His plan for his life. Joseph’s unwavering faith and resilience enabled him to rise from being a slave and prisoner to becoming a trusted advisor to Pharaoh, ultimately saving Egypt and his family from famine. This story illustrates how faith, trust in God’s providence, and resilience in the face of adversity can lead to redemption and blessings beyond one’s imagination.
Relationships
Last, I’d like to delve a bit deeper on a personal note. As we explore the dynamics of relationships and delve into how faith, trust, and resilience foster deep, enduring connections. Before this series we are in now, I did a 25 installments on marriage. I shared many personal stories. I encourage you to go back and read them. I poured my heart and soul into those episodes. But in summary, I feel after being married 32+ years, it is the combination of faith, trust and resilience, that are the foundation. If you are married or have long-term relationships, I know you can relate. You must believe the relationship is worth it and have a strong commitment. You must develop a deep level of trust. That is the bedrock! And the importance of resilience and never giving up while moving through difficult times, the good, the bad, and the ugly is essential. And for me like Purdy, my faith and trust are in Jesus Christ—to whom I attribute to my ability to be resilient.
In summary, our exploration across various domains—sports, business, Christian faith, and personal relationships—reveals the consistent threads of faith, trust, and resilience that undergird effective leadership and strong connections. From the teamwork and discipline in sports to the strategic vision and adaptability in business, from the servant leadership and guidance in Christian faith to the communication skills and empathy in personal relationships, these principles form the cornerstone of success and meaningful interactions. Through faith, we find the courage to persevere in the face of challenges. Through trust, we build rapport and foster collaboration. And through resilience, and not quitting, we emerge stronger from adversity, forging deeper connections and realizing our full potential as leaders and individuals.
I encourage you to journal about the ideas that resonate with you. Next week, we will pull our valuable insights together to create our personal blueprint.
Monette hosts a weekly podcast: Mornings with Monette. She has been a lifelong learner and and appreciates the opportunity to share what she has learned–both through her podcast and here at The Best-Life Project (based on the content of her weekly podcast). Her messages are raw, honest and straight from the heart. She lives in Albuquerque, NM with her husband Leland. They have three adult children and are enjoying living their best lives filled with travel and adventure.