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You got to have heart to succeed
You got to have heart to find out what will make you a successful person
In the 1960s, a leading sports commentator spoke these piercing words about the 26-mile marathon race. He said, “There are many things that can break the body, a tragic wreck, a prolonged illness, a natural disaster. But the marathon breaks the heart.”
Courage is synonymous with the heart because the heart is the center of life. The Bible says it is from the heart that precedes all thoughts of envy and strife. Negative and positive thoughts originate in the heart. The Tin Man in the classic “Wizard of Oz” story was void of courage because he did not have a heart. At the conclusion of the story, the Wizard gave the Tin Man a heart that symbolizes courage and confidence.
There is the story of a young boy named Freddie Brown who grew up in a small town in the 1960s. The older boys who lived in his community played football and basketball and served as role models and mentors for the younger boys. They taught the younger boys how to play football and basketball and scheduled games with surrounding communities. When Freddie was 10 years old he had a 14-year-old coach named Joe Anthony. Joe was a tough no-nonsense young man who in many ways was mature beyond his years. He was known as the best drummer in the high school band. He was extremely gifted, and he later was the main drummer for many of big name soul singers such as Percy Sledge and several others.
Freddie listened to Joe and admired his winning ways. Joe performed at the highest level when he was challenged. He had a strong desire to win and he always said, “You got have heart to succeed in life.” Freddie and his brothers played football and basketball against teams who were much more talented but they usually won because they were inspired by the words of their 14-year-old coach who often said, “you got to have heart if you want to win.”
Foot racing was also one of Freddie’s favorite pastimes. He won most of the community races, he was known as the fastest runner in his neighborhood. Freddie eventually tried out for the high school track team and on the first day of tryouts the coach timed everyone in the 100-yard dash Freddie came in last. Guys he had soundly beaten in the past ran past him like he was standing still. He was shocked and did not know what had happened. He was embarrassed and could have given up and walked away but he did not. Eventually he realized there was a difference in running a 50-yard dash and 100-yard dash. The difference was conditioning. Freddie was not in 100-yard condition. He remembered the words of Joe: “It takes a lot of heart to be a winner.”
When Freddie understood what it would take to be a winner. He stayed after track practices and ran on his own. He bought some ankle weights and ran every day after practice. When he ran he reflected on the words of Joe that winning is all about heart. It is about having the will to win. Freddie ran a series of 100-yard sprints and jogged around the 440-yard track several times after each track session. After a month of extra effort and sacrifice he reached a point of peak conditioning. One day he lined up to race the fastest sprinter on the track team. He outran him by five yards, and he never lost another race to his teammates. It was all about heart and effort. Life is a marathon; it takes a lot of heart and effort to achieve goals and objectives.
To everyone who is struggling in school or in life—hang in there and do your best. Put forth the extra time and effort to achieve stated goals and objectives. And to all athletes, hang in there and remember it is not always the team that has the largest and most talented players who will triumph. Sometimes it is the team that has the most heart. Remember the legacy of Freddie Brown and the words of his 14-year-old coach Joe, “you got to have heart.” Play every down as if it was the last one, leave everything on the field, put forth your best effort on the playing field, in the classroom and in life.
Reverend Micheal J. Darby