I am a casual Colts fan. In particular, Tony Dungy’s story is a powerful testimony of God working in a life. He spent years as an Assistant before getting an opportunity with Tampa Bay to be the Head Coach. Unexplainably fired a year before that team went on to win the Super Bowl with a team that he built from the ground up. Then hired by Indy where he set about rebuilding that program around Peyton Manning. Year after year of getting close, but losing in the big games. On top of this his son committed suicide less than a year ago. And after all this adversity both professionally and personally, Tony could peer through the fog and see where God had both sustained and blessed him. What a powerful story of perseverance, patience, and sticking to convictions in the face of many critics.

Many times, we as Christians think that our life will simply be a linear path upward. Each day, each year, we simply move along the well thought out and executed path. In fact, there are many Christian ministries doing quite well propogating this theology. But when you really look at life, it just doesn’t work out in a linear, always upward fashion. That is why Jesus said over and again, “those who endure to the end will be saved” (Matt 24: 13). We were created and empowered to persevere, to support one another, and to outlast those who would come against us.

I am not sure where you life is right now. You may be on a mountain top or in a deep valley. One thing I can assure you, it will not last. Only your relationship with Christ will remain constant.