Racing to the finish line

The other day I was watching "The book of Eli". I know it's not a biblical movie or anything, but I heard good things about it and I was curious. The movie was decent, but what really stood out to me was what Eli said at the end. I thought it sounded familiar, turns out, it is a quote from 2 Timothy,

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7 

Then I begin to think about how our spiritual journey really is like a race. Like any race, there is a planned course we need to stay on in order to win the race. If we fall off the course, we need to get back onto the course to complete the race. I once read a story of of cross country race held in California in 1993 where 123 out of 128 runners all took the wrong turn because the leader missed a turn. One of the competitor noticed and tried to guide everyone back on the right course, but no one wanted to follow him. Instead, they laughed at him and continued down the wrong course. In the race of our life, our goal is to run correctly and to finish the race marked out for us. Sometimes people may laugh at us or think we are crazy for our belief, but we can't let that affect us. Instead, we need to hold onto what we believe in and continue down our course in life.

Like most races, we are not running down the course alone; there are always people running alongside us. We may start at different points or different times, but we all end at the same place. As we travel down our course, we meet different people along the way and we form friendships. These friends may ran ahead, alongside, or behind us,but they've all made a difference in our life at one point or another. This is the same in life. I am a true believer that we are not meant to take this faith journey on our own, but God surrounds us with people who are running the same race. They are our spiritual support, they bring words of wisdom, they are there when we need them the most. Some of these people may stay with us from the beginning to the end, others are only with us for a portion of the way. But either way, their presence made a difference in us. Friends also keep each other motivated in the race. When there is a person running along side us, we can give each other encouragement and pull each other up when one falls. In other words, friends keep each other accountable and strong in our faith journey. Ecclesiastes speaks of this so clearly.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Most runner probably would agree that the most important thing in completing a race is perseverance. Every race has its obstacles and its up and downs. Sometimes even the slightest elevation can feel like Mount Everest after awhile. In the famous Boston Marathon, there is a section of the race called the Heartbreak Hill. It is only elevated by 27 meters, but it's positioned at the point of the race where the body is at it's maximum exhaustion. This is the point where a lot of runners just give up. But in order to complete the race, the runner must push through the pain and the exhaustion and just keep going. They must push aside the desire to give up and just carry on. This is the same in life. We all face various tests and trials in our faith journey, whether that be job loss, loss of love ones, past mistakes, broken relationships...But no matter what we have to face, this is what Paul reminded us:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1

Sometimes though we just feel so exhausted and weighed down that we don't have enough strength to go on. We are like a boat sinking deeper and deeper in the raging water. We just want to throw our hands in the air and give up. It's like we've reached that exhausting point of the race that our legs simply can't move anymore. But here is what God said to Isaiah during times like this,

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Like any race, there is a beginning and an end. Our race begins when we first put our faith in Jesus. This race changes our focuses in life, it changes what we count as important, and this changes who we are. We are all called to be a part of this race. Our race is not aimless, it has a reason and a purpose. We are called to share the good news, to be the light and salt of the world, to live out the love of Jesus. Like any race, there is a prize at the end. When we get there, there will be the crown of life and eternal glory waiting for us. Hopefully when we reach the end of our race, we can look back and say to Jesus, Lord, I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith.

"Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all those who have loved his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:8