Have you ever seen the movie “Rudy?” It’s an awesome true story of a lifelong underdog who chased his dream to become a Notre Dame football player. The odds were very much against this likelihood, but through persistence and perseverance Rudy would overcome incremental obstacles to ultimately attain this dream!…

As with any dream worth chasing, doubt will pervade from time to time. In this video, Rudy is hanging by a thread. He is desperate. He needs to be accepted as a student at Notre Dame or his dream would never happen. I love how the priest encourages Rudy that it’s not about the results, it’s more about HOW you chase your dream. And the results are ultimately left up to God!

“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
–Hebrews 11:39-40

Isn’t this so true?! Hebrews 11 is a summary narrative of how many of the Old Testament characters OBEYED God through faith. In this, many of these same characters DID NOT receive what appeared to have been the “promise.” Soooo what was the “promise?” The promise God made to, let’s say Abraham and Moses, was the “Promised Land.” Though God’s promise was eventually fulfilled many years later, Abraham and Moses did not themselves ever set foot in the Promised Land. Rather, they received something much better than anything they would ever have received on earth…God’s future promise of redemption & salvation. And it was in their trials and imperfections that Abraham and Moses learned to rely on God.

In Rudy’s case, his trials & imperfections throughout the movie mirror that of Abraham and Moses in their journeys. Now, Rudy was chasing a self-imposed goal, whereas Abraham and Moses was following commands from God. Sure, the motivation is very different. But, God is interested more in how we get there. The results are up to Him.

So as the movie ends, Rudy does indeed overcome all the obstacles and attains his dream of playing football for the Fightin’ Irish. He was by far the worst player on the team, but he indeed had the biggest heart.

So, as you chase your dreams today, what would God see in your heart as you persevere?

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
–2 Corinthians 4:16-18