Decisions Are Easy. Execution Is Hard. Commitment Is Essential.

"Character is the ability to carry out a worthy decision after the emotion of making that decision has passed." - Hyrum Smith

“O.K., you’ve convinced me,” I told the chairman of the Camden County Republican Party. “I’ll do it.” And with those words, I officially became a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008.

It all started with our family having moved from a predominantly Republican congressional district to a heavily Democratic one the year before. So much so, in fact, that the GOP didn’t even field a candidate in 2006, allowing the eight-term Democratic incumbent to run unopposed. When I called the party chairman to inquire why, he told me that no one had the courage to run in one of the safest Democratic districts in the country, where a Republican congressional candidate hadn’t won since 1972.

“It’s a real David vs. Goliath situation,” he added.

Well, since David is my favorite Bible character and I love being an underdog, that analogy really got my attention. And so, after consulting my wife and kids, seeking advice from a host of close friends and spiritual mentors, and praying about the decision more than any other in my life – before or since – I threw my hat in the ring.

That was the easy part.

Next came earning the endorsements of the other two county chairmen in my district, fending off a challenger in the GOP primary, and then launching one of the most uphill general election campaigns in the history of the U.S. Congress. To run a competitive race in a major media market like South Jersey, which sits just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, a congressional candidate must raise at least $2 million. However, because I was considered such a long shot, very few people were willing to contribute to my campaign. That meant that I had to rely on foot leather… and so, I knocked on more than 10,000 doors and campaigned nonstop from June to November.

When the ballots were tallied on Election night, I had received more votes – and a higher percentage of the vote total – than any Republican challenger in 35 years. And yet, I had still finished a very distant second place. Two years later, I ran again and cut into my opponent’s winning margin by 18%, earning yet another “silver medal” in the process.

My friend, making a decision is one thing, but seeing it through to its conclusion – favorable or unfavorable – is another. That is exactly what Jesus did when He told His disciples that He had to go to Jerusalem, even though He knew the suffering that awaited Him there (see Matthew 16:21-23).

“Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem…” Luke 9:51 (NKJV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President