Race Day

Tomorrow (March 23) is Race Day. This will be the first race my running partner and I have run since we ran this same race last year. Running is good. Racing is better.

I llove the pre–race excitement as we get our packets (bib, timing chip, T-shirt, and sometimes some little goodies to take home). Often I see people I know, or someone who is a really great runner that I have competed against before. We usually choose to arrive early and warm up slowly. When the hour approaches we find our place in the starting crowd (behind the fast, in front of the slow), hear the Star Spangled Banner, or a prayer, sometimes, and the gun signals the start. From that moment on it is about training, desire, and will. Someones will win medals, someones  will not finish. In between are a lot of folks who just have a good time, and maybe look forward to a “personal best.”

For me, Life is like a foot race and the race course is similar to Church on Sunday. I look forward to getting there early. Getting things ready for those who are coming, and then watching them arrive. Most look like they are excited to be there. . .others, not so much. Come the hour (or half, or quarter) it all begins. From that moment on it’s all about training, desire, and will. Some know precious little about what to do and how to do it. My job is to teach them – how much God lloves them, how to practice faith, how to pray, how to know the Truth, how to live with grace, peace, hope, joy. Some have a burning desire to grow toward maturity, others, not so much. Some are willing to pay any price to be obedient to God’s design for life – their life. Some have zero enthusiasm, drive, or purpose that moves them toward Godliness. In-between are a lot of folks that are not genuinely committed to pay the cost of discipleship. They are trying to hang on between holiness and worldliness.

I understand that the parallels are strained, but life is a race, and we are the racers. I llove it. I want to finish well. Don’t you?