Finish Line

Day 22 of 40 days of Lenten Posts

Life is like a race.

“We’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit!” Hebrews 12:1-2 Message Version

We start out feeling strong and ready. We get into a grove and are feeling pretty good until we hit that first obstacle, it slows us down a little but we keep pushing on.

The stream we had to cross ended up being deeper

than we had thought and it was cold.

We are no longer comfortable but we still have a long way to go. We decide to take a break and get some nourishment and to talk with other people and before we know it we have wasted precious time.

Now we need to make up for it so we push ourselves hard.

At some point we realize we have gotten off the right path, we wonder how far off we have gotten. We have lost more time and have expended energy that we couldn’t afford to lose. We work our way back to the correct path feeling discouraged wondering if we are the only one who has lost their way.

At this point
we are
barely
running, head down. People are passing us saying encouraging things to us but we are not feeling real receptive to their comments. The hills are getting steeper and running in the dark is scary and dangerous. Occasionally we see the light of another night runner and think “I am not alone.”

“I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” Acts 20:24 NIV

Our body will no longer permit running it has brought us to a slow shuffle. The finish line seems so far away and yet the longer we go we know the finish line is getting closer.

We all run the race to the finish, no one avoids getting there, some get there quicker than others but it is inevitable that we will cross under that banner.

“This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause!” 2 Tim 4:7-8 Message