Finishing Well

As I sit watching some hockey, I find myself reflecting upon my day.  It was a fun day as I spent time at Messiah College watching and cheering my children on at their track meet.  I am also looking at my bright red skin as the sun was shining hot today but that is another blog post...

One of the things that stood out most to me today was how kids finished their races.  There were three basic finishes I noted.  The first was the athlete who was obviously new to the sport as they had to work hard to just finish.  There were a few longer races whereby the majority of the field was finished and one last athlete was struggling to stay on their feet and finish.  Yet, every single one of them did finish to the cheers of the crowd and through their own determination to finish well the race they set out to run.

The second type of finish I saw was from the athlete who was obviously very talented and had every reason to win the race they were in.  Yet, on two occasions I saw these gifted athletes lose their race because they did not give it 110% the whole way.  They coasted across the finish line and it cost two of them the win.

The final type of finisher I saw were the athletes who knew how to run their race well.  From start to finish they maintained a sustainable pace and gave it their all until they crossed the finish line.  Some won their races and others did not, but it was incredibly motivating to see so many work so hard to finish well the races they set out to run.

As I watched all these races, I could not help but think about the race we as Christ followers are called to run.  Like these athletes, we all have a choice on how we will run it.  I was motivated by those who gave it their all to finish a race they weren't necessarily equipped to run and reminded myself that we all need to strive daily to keep adding to our lives the tools and truths needed to finish the race.  I felt a sense of sobriety as I watched how quickly very gifted individuals did not finish their race well.  We are all prone to sin and it is far too easy to disqualify ourselves from the race.  Finally, I felt the need to commit once again to running well the race set before me like so many of the atheletes.  It was a call to daily make the right choices in order to sustain, maintain and attain the rewards that await those Christ followers who run well the race God has set before them.

Thank you Jesus for being our ultimate example! (Hebrews 12:1-3)