Race to the Finish

Photo credit: Free-images.com

A knot formed in my gut when I clicked on the button to register for the half marathon in 2011. I hadn’t run consistently for many years, and then one of our daughters somehow convinced me I could finish 13.1 miles! After I registered, she gave me a daily training plan to follow, to keep me motivated and prevent injury over the four months leading up to the race. 

Following the training plan helped me keep my eye on the goal and reassured me I’d be ready on race day. I loved running and enjoyed this training, though there were challenges. I missed the camaraderie of running with a group, as I had in college. When it was raining, or when I felt tired, I was tempted to cheat by skipping ‘just this one day’ or by cutting the run short. Then I realized that ‘just this once’ could make it easier to cheat in the future, so I stuck with the plan. I reminded myself that, even though I was alone, what I chose to do each day mattered. And Elizabeth was right: I could run 13.1 miles! I completed the race, was excited with my time, and felt part of a large community of runners who could joyfully shout with me, “I did it!”

Christians have a goal, too. Our goal is to ‘run the race’ toward the Place of Perfect Peace. Our daily finish line is life with Christ. We get there by serving Christ in the people around us. Yes, we encounter challenges. Sometimes it feels like we’re running alone, or our mood matches the dreary rain outside, and we’re tempted to not put in the effort. Some days the road feels extra long and the hills feel steeper than usual. Sometimes we question whether what we’re doing matters. 

Keeping Christ as our goal gives purpose to our living. The Scriptures and our prayer life make up our ‘training plan,’ so how much time we spend with our Lord matters. Being part of a community matters, even if it’s a small group, for we encourage each other to ‘keep running’ when challenges arise, and we celebrate together the joys of following the path to Christ. What else matters? It matters whether or not we resist the temptation to cheat ‘just this once.’ It matters how we treat others – those closest to us as well as those who look, believe, and vote differently from how we do. It matters how often we receive the sacraments. 

Every day we reflect and ask ourselves, ‘Am I running toward Christ or away from Him? Have my choices brought His peace to myself and others today?’ Christ knows the potential in each of us to bring His peace to our world. He is our goal. May we always run toward Him.

“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” – 2 Timothy 4:7

“Lord, keep me strong in my race towards You.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2024 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

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P.S.

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We Have Only Today

“I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” ― Stephen Grellet

 All day, every day, we’re faced with hundreds of choices. Many of these seem small and insignificant, yet each choice leads to the next, which leads to the next. Our lives and the lives of the people around us are shaped by the ripple effect of our choices.

 As Christians, we’re called to be deliberate in choosing God’s way of loving and serving our neighbors over our self-serving ways. This isn’t a one-time decision but a choice we make over and over again each day. Remembering this helps us stay tuned in to what He wants, puts us in an ‘other-centered’ frame of mind, and affects everything we think about, say, and do. Even if our efforts go unnoticed or unappreciated, and even though we may never know the results of our good deeds, our task is the same. Loving and serving others is how we bring heaven to earth.

 Sometimes, though, we choose our own way. In our mistaken belief that serving ourselves will make us happy, we do or say things that hurt others. So what do we do after we mess up? How do we get past the guilt of “Why did I do that?” or “Why did I say that?” This is when we turn to God and ask for His forgiveness (and maybe the forgiveness of another person). God loves us and will welcome us back with open arms, just as the father welcomed home his prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-32). Turn back to God, and then start again with the next good choice.

 We have only today. Maybe today will be our last day, and maybe we’ll have thousands more days, but this day will never come again. Let’s remember that each choice leads to another. Let our goal be to look back on our day and see a trail of more goodness and holiness than sin and selfishness. Let’s work to build the kingdom of God here on earth, one loving choice at a time.

 “Show me Your ways, Lord; teach me Your paths.” –Psalm 25:4

 

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