The Attitude of an Athlete

I like to have some fun at the expense of my friend, Josh.  “Pray for this man to come to sanity,” I would say as I learned of mile after mile of running and biking.  Why was he doing it? He trained hard for month to prepare for a triathlon event last week. He ran, pushing his body near its limits, to condition himself.  There just has to be days that he wondered if it was worth it.  But, all his work paid off and the picture appeared on Facebook of him crossing the finish line, exhausted, but accomplished!  

He can say, “I am a Triathlete!”   Now, he is dreaming of longer races.  Josh’s pursuit of a goal demanded much of him – discipline, self-denial, and pain.  But, if you ask him about those things today, they are forgotten, eclipsed by his memory of reaching the finish line.

Paul borrows the athlete’s passion for performance when he describes the Christian life.  "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, NIV)

Here on this Monday morning, there’s a race to run, God’s calling stretching out in front of us.  Will you wander along, allow distractions to tempt you from His way; or will you run to win?  Plenty of things will come along that are not part of the race! The Proverb says "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man." (Proverbs 6:10-11, NIV)  How true it is. If we play before we work, our lives will be wasted.  If we work without play, our lives will be without joy. But, when we work, then play, we win the prize!

The Spirit has provided us everything we need to be winners in the race for Life. Now, we take up the challenge and like my friend Josh, we train and run with our eyes on the prize.

Here is the word from the Word for this Monday morning - "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! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming." (2 Timothy 4:7-8, The Message)

____________

It will be worth it all,

When we see Jesus.

Life's trials will seem so small,

When we see Christ.

One glimpse of His dear face,

All sorrow will erase.

So bravely run the race

'Til we see Christ!

Esther Kerr Rusthoi

© 1940 New Spring (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)