A couple of years ago a friend of mine planned on running in the annual mini-marathon in Indianapolis. For months he trained, plotting a course through town and laid out a training schedule so that he would be ready. He ran religiously. I knew on certain days and certain times if I drove through town I would find him pushing himself harder to reach his goal. He did everything that he needed to do in order to be ready, but the evening before the race my friend didn’t feel very well, and he knew that race day was going to be a long day.
He had put all the hours and miles in order to be ready, so he was determined to get on the course and run the race even though he wasn’t feeling one hundred percent. Things started out fine, but he could tell that he was expending more energy than he should be just trying to keep up with the pace he had set for himself. As he entered the track at the speedway he could tell things were getting worse, and before he could make it around the loop he collapsed. He was sick and dehydrated and his body couldn’t take any more. He found shelter and shade in a medical tent, where he was given great attention. He was feeling so terrible that it took him a while to get the strength back up to get back on the track. When it was all said and done, it took my friend over four hours to complete the race, more than double the time he was aiming for.
A few days after the race, he sat in my office. He was visually discouraged and frustrated after putting in all the hard work and not getting the result he wanted. We talked for a bit and he told me that he was planning on doing another mini in the near future, knowing that he could do better and cross the finish line the way he wanted this time. It wasn't long before he ran that race and finished very close to the time he was shooting for.
I know it’s not how he envisioned it, but I was really proud of my friend for finishing strong. He accomplished what he wanted to do – he crossed that finish line proud of all that he had done.
I remember when I received word that one of the longtime members of our church passed away. He was a great man of God who was very influential in the lives of so many people in our congregation. He spent most of his adult life doing God’s work, sharing the Gospel with anyone who would listen or care to watch him live his life. In his last five years he developed Alzheimer’s, and then in the fall of 2015, he was diagnosed with cancer. It was difficult for his family to watch his decline. But the amazing thing was watching him and his family finish strong.
When I think of this great man I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul nearing the end of his ministry, “For I am already being poured out … I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord … will award me on that day - and not only to me but also to all who have longing for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6-8).
We celebrated the life he lived. We also celebrated how he finished the race strong. We talked about how he fought the good fight. We remembered how he kept the faith. And we smiled when we realized that one day we too would have the opportunity to be awarded the crown of righteousness, not for anything we had done – but because we lived our lives longing for God.
This week, I have asked myself how do I run a race like that. How do I live a life like he lived? How do I keep the faith, fight the good fight and finish strong? I think the secret is in our perspective. It’s not about one race. It’s about many races. It’s not about one battle or fight; it’s about a daily skirmish. The secret to running THE race and finishing well has to do with what we do each day.
We have to run the race each day. We have to train to make the right decisions. We have to practice fighting the good fight. We have to get better at being faithful in tough times. And all of those things happen one day at a time. You can’t just sit down and say, today I am changing course and I am going to finish the race strong, twenty … thirty … forty … fifty years from now. No, you have to decide today that you will run the race, and fight the good fight, and finish strong.
And when you do that – there is no doubt in my mind that some days you will not cross the finish line the way you wanted to, or the way you planned to. But my friends, remember you still crossed the line.
And then tomorrow you will get back up and you will try again, knowing that you can do a little bit better than you did the day before. You will also know that when you live life this way, (running the race, fighting the good fight, and longing after God) that one day you will receive an award that is far greater than just crossing the finish line.
So I encourage you, finish this day strong. Then finish the next one and the next one and the next one. Finish this season strong. Finish this year strong. Run the race. Fight the good fight. And anxiously await the day, when you will be embraced into His arms and you will hear your Father in Heaven say, “Well done.”
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