It’s called March Madness and for good reason – even the most knowledgeable among us can’t predict how the collegiate basketball tournaments will play out. It seems, however, that most winning teams have a combination of three indispensable virtues: talent, perseverance, and faith. Hi, I’m Tom Ellsworth from Sherwood Oaks Christian Church with a minute message.
The basketball season always brings to mind the legacy of Coach John Wooden, a man characterized by those same three virtues: talent, perseverance, and faith. He persevered through his first sixteen seasons without a gymnasium at UCLA even though the school had promised to build one. Through his coaching skills, the UCLA Bruins won the tournament ten times in a twelve year period. And yet, through it all John Wooden remained the same humble man.
How did he maintain such character? One answer comes from an interview before his death. He pulled a silver cross from his pocket, the metal rubbed and worn through time. He said, "I don't know how many people know this, but I had this in my hand the whole time I was coaching.” His Christian faith kept him grounded. If you want a victorious life, take your talent, add perseverance and build on faith in God.