Athletes love to be called great. At least I do. It has been awhile since I have heard those words on the field of competition, but I do hear it from my kids every once in a while, so I got that going for me. If you truly are the best, then you are called the greatest of all time. Only a few have reached that level of success, and they are certainly in their respective Halls of Fame.

I think every true competitor has a secret desire to be great, and that is okay. That shows drive and passion. My question isn’t whether or not you are great or even if you have that desire. My question is would you rather be great or grateful?  

Have you ever noticed how we tend to judge ourselves based on our intentions? Even if our actions were wrong or the outcome was bad, we still give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. Why is that? I think it is because we know that our intentions were good. Most of the time, we were trying to help others or trying to do the “right thing,” so even if it didn’t turn out right, we still encourage ourselves.

The sport of bull riding is what some call “the toughest sport on dirt.” It involves riding a twisting, bucking, angry bull for what every rider hopes will be eight seconds—a virtual eternity when seated on 1,800 pounds of raging power.

One common denominator among bull riders is fear. The Lord says in Isaiah that we have nothing to fear because, by the glory of God, He will help us through anything we face. And that means anything from the possibility of missing clutch free-throws to the potential of getting trampled by a bull.

Another signing day has passed in college football. The rankings are out and once again colleges like USC, Oklahoma, Florida State and Michigan have locked down the "best" high school athletes in the country. "Blue chippers," high school All-Americans and All-Stars have made their decisions, and now coaches and fans will begin to celebrate their recruiting "victories."