The mighty Eagles of Team Discovery were the winners of the first swimming carnival since the implementation of our new houses. Congratulations Team Discovery! The timing of this victory is impeccable as this week I’m elaborating on why we have chosen Team Discovery (Eagles) as one of our new houses.
Victory though Passion – This is the motto that Team Discovery is founded on. As an old rugby coach of mine used to say ‘I’ll take passion over talent any day’. Perhaps that was his way of saying that I didn’t have as much natural ability as I, or he would have liked.. What I choose to believe is that you can do far more with someone who is passionate, then someone who is just talented. Talent will only take you so far. Unless a natural desire to succeed takes over, too often we see the task become too hard, the training too difficult or the problem too complex. How many times have we seen a talented youngster and uttered the phrase ‘they’ve got plenty of natural talent’, only to see it go to waste.
Whether it be sporting, academic, creative or somewhere inbetween, when we examine some of the great achievements of our time, it usually isn’t the talented teenager that excels. It is most often the individual who had the belief and desire to achieve despite what people or circumstances might have told them. Talent might get you on the starting blocks, but passion is what is going to carry you through the countless hours of preparation, training and downright hard work.
I really enjoyed learning about the Space Shuttle Program. In a time when the world was obsessed with getting rockets into space and to the moon, the larger challenge remained of how to get a reusable aircraft into space and back again with crew intact. Rockets were fantastic machines for getting people into space, but the one use only nature of rockets put effective space exploration and research out of our reach. Through the 60’s and 70’s, a NASA task force worked tirelessly to solve some of the most complex mathematical and scientific problems ever encountered in order to make efficient space travel and exploration a reality. It was these passionate few who eventually brought the Space Shuttle into existence with the launch of Columbia in 1981. Space Shuttle Discovery is by far the most successful of the five shuttles. Between 1989 and 2011, Discovery completed an astonishing 39 missions which included construction of the International Space Station and launching the Hubble Space Telescope. Over the 27 years of service, Discovery spent a combined total of over one year in space. What an extraordinary feat of human engineering and a prime example of passion pathing the way to victory.
When Jesus died on the cross for us, He was driven by love for you and me. His passion for us took Him far beyond what would seem humanly possible or rational. God has deposited in each of us dreams and desires; gifts and talents. He places them there to drive us and spur us on, especially when things get tough and natural talent can only take us so far. Take courage in knowing that the things you are passionate about are there for a purpose, and will ultimately lead to God’s kingdom being extended here on earth.
So whether it is academic, sporting, social justice or even a love for cows (some of us have that..), let’s unleash the passion and let it lead to victory, however that looks. Some things are definitely worth fighting for. Never forget that Jesus fought for you, and won.
Go the Mighty Eagles!
Glen