The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance. This man’s utterance to Ithiel: “I am weary, God, but I can prevail. – Proverbs 30:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 13, 2016): Proverbs 30

American Football legend Vince Lombardi has become identified with one quote. “Winning isn’t everything; it is the only thing. In our business, there is no second place, either you’re first, or you’re last.” Okay, the quote – or at least the first line – is not a Lombardi original. The idea that “winning is the only thing” seems to have originated from UCLA Bruins Coach Henry Russell “Red” Sanders in 1950. But since then it has become closely associated with Vince Lombardi and his philosophy about football and life.

But while we identify the quote with Lombardi, the quote is also something that Lombardi later in life regretted that he ever said. It wasn’t what he meant. According to reporter Jerry Izenberg, Lombardi clarified the quote in his later years. “What I believe is, if you go out on a football field on Sunday, or any other endeavor in life, and you leave every fiber of what you have on that field when the game finally ends, then you’ve won. And that tells me more than the final score. And I never made that clear.”

We have no idea of who Agur son of Jakeh might be. Some ancient Rabbi’s believe that this is nothing more than a pen name for Solomon. But whoever he might be, he would agree with Lombardi. If you leave everything that you have on the field, then you’ve won. The most important identifying characteristic that we possess is whether we were willing to give whatever it is that we have to the job that lies before us; that we are prepared to give the task our best.

And there is no doubt that there will be days when we will feel like Agur, son of Jakeh. The times will come in the midst of our battle when we are tired. But our character in those moments is found in our willingness to prevail – to move on and keep the fight going, to press on just a little further. Win or lose, if we are willing to give it everything we have, then we are the ultimate winners. But that doesn’t happen without a spirit that insists that we will prevail.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 31