12 February 2020, United States
Little boy came up one day and he said to his father, he says, "Dad. Dad. Dad. I want you to understand there's a race. There's a big race that's coming out at the elementary school and I want to be a part of it. All the kids are going to be in it."
The father said to the son, he said, "Listen, I know you can do this. I know you believe but you've got to prepare. That 440 yard dash is a long way around the track."
And the son says, "Yes, father. I believe."
"And here's what I want you to do. Every day after school, I want you to go run one lap around the track, and you've got to get to the point where you've got to be able to run the whole lap."
So the little boy for the next two weeks went down to the track all by himself and finally, the big race day came. He's at the race line and he says, "Father, what if I can't?"
The father said, "Listen to me. We believe and we prepare."
"But Dad, they're taller and they're bigger."
He says, "None of that. We got this. When you get to that first corner, I want you to come out of that first corner. Look for the second corner. When you come around that second corner, I want you to realise you're going to be in last place, and once you're in last place, I want you to understand they're going to start to slow off. They're going to start to drop. They're going to start to drop behind the bigger, fastest runners. Just do what you practised and when you get halfway through the race, you look up at that press box. You're going to know you're halfway done. You're going to start to be moving up on some of these bigger, faster, stronger boys. Just stay the course, my son. I believe you. When you get around that third corner, son, I just want you to look for me because I'm going to be in the fourth corner and I'm going to see there. I'm going to have a smile on my face and I'm going to have my hand up this high. Son, do you understand what I'm saying?"
He says, "Yes, father."
"And when I drop my hand, all I want you to do is run and I don't want you to ever look back ever again in your life. I want you to understand that. Can you do that, son?"
"Yes, father. I can do that."
"Runners, take your mark. Set." The little boy took off just like his father said. He went around that first corner, came around the second corner and he was in dead last place, just like his dad said. His dad knew. He came about halfway around the track and there he was. He moved up to third place. Coming around the fourth corner, he looks for his father desperately and there's his dad with his hand up held high in the air. He dropped his hand. The little boy ran. Whatever he had, he didn't look back. He couldn't feel his heart. He couldn't feel his arms. He couldn't feel his legs.
Then he crossed the finish line, just passing the last, bigger, faster, stronger boy, fell over the centre line and there was his father, miraculously. And the father picked his son up and he said, "Well done, my son."
And the little boy said, "Dad, I did it. I finished the race."
The father then said, "Look back now, son." And all the little boy could see was bigger, faster, stronger sitting on the side of the track walking across the finish line. You see, the little boy knew more about life than most of us probably in this room until we think about it. He didn't just run 440 yards. He ran further, which brings us the critical belief, my critical belief. And I hope that you could share this with me. It's not just the efforts that we make, but more the distances we're prepared to go.