I really wish I had a (better) picture for this post.

So this buddy of mine (whose name was Sunshine) had a great shirt. It was kind of an ugly yellow color, and it had three things on the front, which I’ve attempted to re-create below.

Now, of course upon seeing the Nike Swoosh, the first three words that pop into any American’s mind are “Just Do It.” These words are followed by a strong desire to go watch the Chicago Bulls play basketball until one remembers that Michael Jordan is now (for the last time) retired. That’s not important, though; what’s important is those three words. Just do it.

Sunshine (not really his name by the way, and no one knows why he was called that, but he was…) and I went on a mission trip one time to the Dominican Republic and I’m pretty sure he wore that shirt every other day. After the trip, whenever we’d see each other, one of us would shout, “PORTUGAL!,” and the other would reply, “Just Do It.”

I’ve found that it’s a pretty profound attitude. It’s the same attitude a college roommate once espoused when he said, “Stick, _______ saddle up!” (He didn’t use the blank, but I will.) It’s the attitude that makes a man like Dan Berschinski face the fear of battle - courage - and the attitude that makes athletes like Jordan and Nolan Ryan practice obsessively - motivation. It’s the attitude of Moses, Joshua, Gideon, and other men of the Bible. Much as any of them doubted and complained, the Israelites got out of Egypt because Moses just did it, and they conquered Jericho because Joshua just did it, and they rid themselves of their Midianite oppressors because Gideon just did it.

It’s (at least in part) the attitude that led Christ to the cross. Matthew 26:39 tells us that Jesus knew that the next couple of days were going to be hell. But He saddled up and did it anyway. He loved the Father, and He loved us, and He did what was required of Him.

So the next time you get to feeling sorry for yourself, remember Portugal (and Michael Jordan and Jesus), saddle up, and Just Do It.