Finish Strong: Priorities

I don’t know about you or your family, but in our house, we love sports.  We talk about sports.  We play sports.  We watch sports.  And as our children get older I am confident that we will run around on Saturdays from one sport to the next until we can barely move.  Sports are part of our family DNA.

Sports are also part of our cultural DNA, so much so that it’s even embedded in our language.  You probably have had to “take one for the team” before.  Maybe you had a project that went “down to the wire”.  It’s even possible that you’ve had a “knock-down, drag out” where the “gloves came off” and you were willing to “go to the mat” for your view or position.  The point is that there is something about sports that unifies us – that the language resonates with us and helps us see a common image.

The idea of using sports images to unify people isn’t new.  It’s actually been around a long time.  The ancient Hebrew and Greek scriptures have these references sprinkled throughout them.  This month we have been looking at some of these references as we focus on what it means to finish strong.

There is an idea in sports which transcends the games being played, be it boxing, basketball, figure skating or any other number of competitive sports – this idea centers around finishing strong.  In athletic competition it’s not enough to come out and do well to begin, but you must finish your opponent.  You have to “get them on the ropes”.  You have to display a “killer instinct”.  When you have the advantage you want to “break the will” of the other team. 

The Apostle Paul recognized this idea and he leveraged it to try and help his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ understand what it looked like to “Finish Strong”.  “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24)  The way that Paul expressed this idea was trying to help us understand that it’s not just enough to run.  It’s not about running hard – it’s about pursuing the prize.

There is a simple, yet amazing, book by Andy Stanly titled, The Principle of the Path.  In it, Stanley reminds us of a very basic but powerful principle that we all should take notice of.  The principle of the path states that:  Direction – not intention – determines our destination.  In other words your current direction will determine your destination.  Where you end up in life will never be determined by what you wish for, hope for, or plan for.  Where you end up – the goal – the prize you are seeking after is directly connected to the direction that you are currently headed.

Paul’s idea of running in a way so that you win the prize, connected to the Principle of the Path reminds me that if we want to finish strong (this semester/  this year / this life) then the direction you currently have matters a great deal.  The priorities and the way you have oriented your life currently are pointing you toward a prize.  The question you should ask yourself is:  “Is the prize I’m chasing, truly a prize worth winning.”

I’ve seen a lot of parents chase after the prize of athletic achievement.  Their kids are good at sports and they had fun (at least for a while) playing every sport all year long.  But in the end the prize of athletic achievement leaves them feeling empty.  While they may have been the best in town, they fail to achieve at the next level.  I’ve seen other parents run after the prize of wealth, believing that money and shiny toys will help their family have fun and stick together.  Many of these family end up divided because what mattered more to them was the next big purchase or experience.  I’ve even seen families run after the prize of happiness, believing that if everyone is happy and never has to go through anything difficult that life will be better that way.  But the prize of happiness is deceptive, and children who have never learned how to respond to tough situations crumble under the pressure.

My friends remember Direction – not intention – determines our destination.  And if we are to run in such a way that we win the prize then we must first make sure that our priorities and our direction are placed on the right prize.  So what is the right prize?  I think there are a few ways that you can think about or package the answer to that question.  But my favorite is the conclusion to one of the stories that Jesus told.

The story is called, the Parable of the talents and in this story each servant is entrusted with something of value from the master.  Jesus tells this story hoping that we will see that we are the servants, and God is the Master.  He has entrusted us with so much, especially with the lives of our children.  Ultimately it’s up to us to make the right choices when it comes to what God has given us. 

The prize I think we each should focus on is having God say to us at the finish line what the Master says to his servant at the end of the parable.  “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share in your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:23).  That’s the prize – not just to do well and be faithful … but to be with God and share in His happiness forever.

I want to encourage you to run in such a way that you win that prize.  Slow down this week, and take time to ask yourself:  What direction is our family headed on?  What prize are we chasing after?  And if you don’t like the answer make the choice to change your destination by changing your direction and recalculate what your priorities should be so that you and your family can finish strong.