Sep142025
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Mental Toughness.

Our running coach gave us a talk this week on mental toughness. He used me as an example. A few years ago, I ran a marathon with the flu. I am not sure if that was a good example of mental toughness or mental confusion, but mental toughness gets you across the finish line.

One of my most significant challenges was learning to read German for my doctorate. I gave it my all. I created hundreds of vocabulary flashcards, attended night classes at the Goethe-Institut, studied multiple grammar books, and had a tutor. After I took the proficiency exam, they told me they would send me the results. Hours turned to days and days turned to weeks. I finally got an email that read: “We regret to inform you that you did not pass.” I felt devastated. I was crushed. Little did I know at the time that this was a great moment for me. This is the only time you can get mental toughness. You do not get it standing on the podium after a race. You do not get it reaching for your diploma on your graduation, or walking down the aisle on your wedding day. You do not get it when everything is going well and in successful moments. Mental toughness is what gets you to do difficult things.

So, how do you get mental toughness in those dark moments? You reach for the voices that are given to you. I listen to my director of my program tell me, “Oh, they do the time, they flunk everyone to show you that the program you are in is not meant to be easy. You listen to the voices of your classmates who tell you, “You got this far. Just a few more vocabulary words and a few articles, and you’ve got this.”

When Jesus was in the Garden before his death, he was crushed. It was a hard moment when so much was on the line. Yet, it was also a great moment for the Lord because that is where He got that mental toughness. He reached for the voices that were given to him. He listened to the angels that God had sent Him. He reached for the voices of Scripture. And David stood before him, “You remember me, I was just a boy when I stood in front of the greatest warrior of our time. He had armor head-to-toe. I had no helmet, no armor, no sword, and no experience in warfare. Yet, on that day, I showed the world how great God is. This is your time, your moment to show the world the power of God.

Then Joseph from the book of Genesis stood before the Lord, “I was a young boy when my brothers sold me into slavery. When I arrived in Egypt, I was accused of a crime which I did not commit. I was thrown into prison. It was there that God gave me a dream. A dream that I would save the world, and I did. I showed the world powers the greatness of God. Now this is your hour.

Jesus stood up and faced death, and he beat it. He won.

Know this: the dark times, the discouraging moments can be your greatest moment of opportunity, because it is only in these moments you get mental toughness. Just listen to the good voices that are given to you.

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