When it comes to endurance, the power of the resurrection is necessary. As a triathlete who constantly goes through training cycles that push my limits, I often get skeptical about how far I can go or how much I can push myself. After a long race, I feel completely spent, like I’m older than the hills and will never fully recover. But given time and the fact that the body is a work of God—a miracle by all accounts—and in spite of personal human doubt, I spring back, stronger and better than before.

Bobby turned the ball over for the fourth straight possession and the coach called time-out. As Bobby came to the bench his teammates were all over him. Bobby’s response was “Where’s the love guys?” At that moment there was very little love for Bobby or anyone on the team. They allowed the distraction of the turnovers to affect their attitudes toward their teammate.

The key ingredient of any relationship is love—agape love—a love that is self-sacrificing and cares more about the person than any situation. Every gift we have been given by God needs to be exercised in this kind of love—God’s genuine love. What do we do when evil sets in or when we go off on a teammate? We need to cling to what is good.

After I had my blood cholesterol levels checked last week, I met with the doctor to discuss my results. Because I exercise regularly and eat well, I anticipated good results. As I expected, the doctor said my results were great and that he was very pleased. In fact, he said he wished that all of his patients had such positive results and that 90 percent of them didn’t.

Elephants are some of the biggest, most powerful, and intelligent animals on the planet. And in certain parts of Asia, farmers still use elephants to do much of the heavy labor. Some countries even hold elephant festivals to
celebrate their strength and intelligence. These festivals always end with a tug-of-war between one elephant and
one hundred men—and you guessed it, the elephant always wins!

But amazingly, the only thing that elephant owners in Asia have to do to control an elephant is tie a rope to its right hind leg and a small wooden post in the ground. That’s it! The elephant won’t move, even though the wooden post and rope is like a toothpick and dental floss to you and me.

Every season, coaches and players alike try to figure out the “secret formula” for winning a championship. Throughout my years as a player and coach, I’ve learned that every championship team has one thing in common. That one thing is not talent, it’s not size and it’s not intelligence. Time and time again, the common denominator of a championship team is a servant heart. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to believers. Even Jesus, the King of Kings, spent His entire life serving others. Sometimes He served others by listening to them. Sometimes He encouraged them. Sometimes He washed their feet. Ultimately, He served us all by dying on the cross.

Following God even when you are in doubt is difficult. We often get caught up in the uncertainty of our future and forget Who is ultimately in charge. After Moses died Joshua was immediately made the Israelites’ “Commander in Chief,” and part of his responsibility was leading God's chosen people into the Promised Land.

When Joshua took his new position God instructed him three times to be “strong and courageous” as he led God's people into battle. Joshua had to boldly follow God despite the uncertainty of the future. And not only did he have to remain unwavering in his faith as the Israelites fought their adversaries, he also had to stay diligent to conquer the temptations that came along the way.

As Christian competitors, we realize that God has called us to serve. But do we understand that we should be consumed to serve? Is there a consuming fire that burns in us to serve others around us who are hurting and to help those who need to experience the love of Christ through us?

It’s hard to decide what Kara Lawson is most known for.

SEC fans remember her as the All-American from the University of Tennessee who led the Lady Vols to three Final Four appearances between 2000 and 2003. Followers of the WNBA know her as a key member of the 2005 league champion Sacramento Monarchs and now as the starting point guard for the Connecticut Sun. Still more recognize her as a member of the ESPN college basketball broadcasting team through which Lawson serves both as a studio analyst for the NCAA women’s tournament and a color commentator for men’s games. And fans of the Summer Olympics would most likely know her for the gold medal she won with Team USA in 2008.