Diligence and MJ

"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be DILIGENT, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order." (Mosiah 4:27)

I love this scripture. Here, the Lord is telling us not to push ourselves beyond what our limits are. All that is expected is that we are diligent. First of all, what does it mean to be diligent? Diligence is a constant, earnest effort to accomplish what we want to do, or what the Lord wants us to do. So how do we show diligence spiritually? The main ones are what members of the Church like to call the "Primary answers," or the answers that we have been taught since we were little kids. Examples of such are reading our scriptures, saying our prayers morning and night, attending Church every Sunday that you can, paying our tithing, etc. Yet, being diligent is more than just simply DOING these things. Diligence means taking what you learn and APPLYING them into our daily lives.

In the year 1978, a young man faces the reality of getting cut during tryouts of his high school varsity basketball team. Told that he was too short to compete at that level, he walks away with motivation to prove himself. That young man's name was Michael Jordan. Anybody who has any clue of what basketball is also knows who Michael Jordan is. After getting cut from his high school team, he made the junior varsity team where he scored over 40 points in several games. His junior and senior year, he played varsity and averaged 30 points per game as a senior. This led him to a scholarship to play for the University of North Carolina. He earned the Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and played 3 years for the Tar Heels, averaging 17 points per game. Drafted with the number 3 overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, Michael was about to change the game forever. By the time he eventually retired in 2003, he was known and acknowledged by many as the greatest to ever play the game and the stats back up that claim. He was a 6 time NBA Champion, 5 time NBA MVP, 14 time NBA All-Star, 6 time NBA Finals MVP, 3 time NBA All-Star Game MVP, 2 time Slam Dunk Champion, etc, etc, etc.

So, my question is, what might have happened if Michael gave up after he never made the varsity team his sophomore year? Would he be as well known as he is now? I'd bet a million dollars (if I had a million dollars) that he would not. Michael was diligent, not only in practicing and listening to his coaches, but also in applying what he learned in the actual games. It never was easy for him, and there were plenty of times when I'm sure he wanted to give in, but he never did. If we are diligent with the Gospel, we too will be champions. Maybe not of the NBA, but of eternal life.

*Pictures from websites: www.classes.lt.unt.edu and www.bleacherreport.com