Finishing the Race

My run yesterday was brutal. Maybe it was because I ate a root bear float and a bag of Doritos 20 minutes before I left the house. Maybe it was because I ran at 2 pm – the hottest part of the day. Maybe it is because I haven’t run a distance close to three miles years, literally, since I ran the Twin Cities Marathon in Oct. 2006 (4 hrs. 23 min).

By the end of my course I was ready to walk. I even thought about it a few times, but it is amazing how the body keeps going despite the pain. My legs wanted desperately to stop but my mind just wouldn’t let them. I wanted finish strong as possible.

There are lots of things in life that seem like a brutal three miles run at times. Marriage can feel like that. Parenting can feel like that. Work can feel like that. Friendship can feel like that. Faith can feel like that. Ministry can feel like that.

Am I right? I’d bet everyone reading that has experienced breaking points where the finish line looked so far off, and the only thing our body wanted to do is quit and walk. Maybe you’re feeling close to that point right now.

Runners say that there are moments where their bodies are near complete exhaustion, and then all of a sudden they get a ‘second wind’ that enables them to breathe easy again and continue. Other times runners simply need to push through the pain to finish the race.

Today, may the Holy Spirit come into you and give you a second wind for whatever race you are running. May God give you the strength to push through adversity and finish well. Don’t quit, the finish line is closer than you think, and when you get there you don’t want to look back and wish you had just tried a little harder and stuck in a little longer.

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