Running the Race

A beautiful day sitting in a stadium watching a State High School Track competition is a wonderful thing.  Enjoying the day with family and hundreds of track enthusiasts is even greater.  Having a grandchild stand on the podium to receive a medal is the greatest. Today will be more of the same, only instead of a grandchild on the podium there will be other athletes.

There is something special about seeing young people run, jump, throw, vault, and hurdle themselves toward the finish line.  Each one desiring to finish well and hopefully finish a little better that the last time they competed.

To me, a track meet is a glimpse into life itself, and for me, the Christian life in particular. Each one of us has our own particular ability or gift that we can develop with a little coaching.  With strength training, technique development, confidence building, and good nutrition a young athlete with natural talent can go on to win races and break records.  But what I love about track is seeing athletes who might never place higher than last place still celebrate every event in which they show improvement--get a PR (personal record).  For most competitors, every 1/2 second faster or 1/2 inch further is a victory and another step toward becoming that athlete they want to become.

Isn't that what living for Christ is like?  We are continually changing into the likeness of Christ--degree by degree, inch by inch, victory by victory. Each time we refrain from getting angry adds to our PR for self-control.  Each time we control our tongue we are more Christlike and have achieved a victory.  Every time we fight off self-doubt we have affirmed our victory over our enemy.  We have won because we have persevered.

I won't go into the importance of the Bread of Life and Living Water, of listening to the coach and putting his wisdom into practice, but I will close with this.  There is a great cloud of witnesses in the stands cheering us on.  The importance isn't in coming in first or last, it is in finishing the race and doing it to the very best of our abilities.