Finishing not winning
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, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 Timothy 4: 7-8
In my younger days I had the opportunity to take part in some rowing races on the Thames and other English rivers (I was steering not rowing). In the company of sporting giants, we did not win. Some years later, I had the joy of winning, but knew that the standard was not particularly high in our region. What matters most in the race of life is doing your best and finishing the race – as disciples there is a crown for all who finish the race and keep the faith, not only the first across the line.
Perhaps you remember the TV coverage of the Triathlon in Mexico – some weeks after the Brownlee brothers won gold and silver medals in Rio. With a few hundred metres to go, Jonny Brownlee's legs started to give out and although he was in the lead by a fair distance, he pulled up and was unable to continue. At that moment his brother Alastair was in second place and could have gone on to win – instead he pulled up his brother and ran with him the remainder of the race, sacrificing gold and at the finish line pushing his brother ahead of him to take silver, and saving the bronze medal for himself.
Am I focused on finishing well, or on being the first over the line?
Does my standing amongst my peers matter more than my faith in God?
Are there brothers or sisters in the race I could be helping across the line?
Lord, I long to say that I have fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith and received the crown. Help me to finish well, Amen.
Dave MacLellan | |
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