Hope Inspires Endurance!

Do you know who my biggest hero is? Joe Paterno. He's the head football coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions. I'm not a huge Penn State fan, but this guy is amazing. He's been on the coaching staff at Penn State for 59 years -- 16 years as an assistant and 43 years as the head coach. He's won more football games than any other coach in history. He's now 81 years old.

One of things I like about Paterno is that he cares deeply about his players, not just how they perform on the field, but how they perform in life. One player who was recruited by a number of colleges said that all the other coaches promised him a position on the team. Paterno said, "If you play for Penn State, you'll leave a better person."

Several years ago, when Paterno was still in his early seventies, he went through a storm. Over a period of five years, Penn State had four losing seasons. Penn State alumni were calling for his resignation, if not his head on a platter. A website even sprung up called firejoepaterno.com!

If he had stepped down at that time, no one would have blamed him. He could have said, "I've had a good run, but the time has come for me to call it a day," and he would have gone out a hero.

But after those four losing seasons, Paterno didn't step down. He decided to stick around a few more years. Why? He believed he could still do what he was hired to do all those years ago: consistently produce winning teams for the Penn State program. He had hope -- not wishful thinking, but a solid sense of optimism -- that there were still some good years to come.

What eventually happened? He turned things around. In the three seasons before this one, Penn State lost only a total of 9 games, and they went to a bowl game each year. This year Penn State is 11-1 and they're going to the Rose Bowl. The firejoepaterno.com website is still up, and if you go there you'll see that they're trying desperately to justify their existence.

Even during those days that must have been the most difficult of his career, Joe refused to quit. When people said, "Your time is up, Paterno. You're old. You're finished. You should quit while you're ahead," he just kept going. It is his hope -- his optimism -- that fuels his endurance.

Paul said, "...your endurance inspired by hope" (1 Thess. 1:13). If you want to develop endurance, develop hope. Develop an attitude of optimism. This idea -- that God is in control and that he is working all things together for good -- needs to be foundational in your attitude at work.

This idea -- that the best is yet to come -- will carry you through those difficult days that come with any and every job. That's because hope inspires endurance!