As soon as I had passed her, I realized what the young lady was doing: she was finishing the race.
I do not know if she was injured, or if she had gotten sick during the race. All I know is that she was a good half mile away from the finish line, and she wasn’t going to get there any time soon.
My first reaction was to pity her. I am a very competitive person, and when I was an athlete, the worst feeling in the world was not to lose, but to lose badly. And by all appearances, this runner was losing very badly. The race was over. Every other runner but her had either dropped out or finished the race. In fact, they had stopped timing at the finish line, and had started the boys’ race for the day. Even if she finished, her feat would not even be recorded in the official standings.
Still, she pressed on.
I realized as I drove home that this young lady is a much more courageous athlete than I will ever be. She would receive no medal or ribbon, and in all likelihood, no one but her own teammates would be left at the finish line to cheer her on. Even so, she sought to finish what she had started.
As an athlete, I craved any kind of recognition I could get: I saved every newspaper photo and article that included me or mentioned my name, and relished the rare moments when I actually did something that elicited applause from the crowd. Even in ministry as a pastor, I still find myself doing things based on what kind of recognition I will get. It is a sin that I will probably go to my grave trying to kill.
I’m grateful for the runner’s example to me. A life of ministry is filled with times when things just won’t turn out like we had planned or hoped. Nevertheless, will I finish what God has given me to complete? Or will I throw in the towel, chalking up my DNF (Did Not Finish) to a bad day?
It’s important to note that in his second letter--perhaps his final farewell--to Timothy, Paul’s final assessment of his life is that he “finished the race” (2 Timothy 4:7). He does not mention how many churches he planted, how many people he preached to, or how much success he has had in the eyes of people. He has simply fought the good fight and finished the race. This is significant because for Paul, things did not always go right. He experienced hardship, plenty of days that did not turn out the way he had planned, and even significant struggle with sin in his life. When we think of Paul, we often think of what we would term his accomplishments: authoring much of the New Testament and planting churches in far-off cities, not to mention seeing God do amazing things. But had Paul not set his sight on finishing the race in the very, very difficult times of his ministry, would he have been able to do those things?
There will be days when you want to quit. There will be times when to finish the race will mean giving everything you have to barely make it to the finish line, where very few--if any--people will be there to congratulate you on the accomplishment. Even so, will you finish the race?
Question: What situation have you faced that made it difficult to even get to the finish line?
