Run the Race

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. ~~ 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, NIV

My son, Chase, runs on the cross country team. He’s been training since early October and working hard to win a prize. His coaches told me he has a lot of heart and works hard, but he has one drawback—his short legs.

Chase has not let his stature become a hindrance to him. He pursues his goal to win a prize as he thrives on competition. He enjoys sports and let's nothing deter him.

I was blessed to travel to the cross country meet this past Saturday on a ranch. What really blessed me was prior to his team’s start, the voluntarily boys huddled together in prayer. I overheard them reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

Then they lined up. On your mark, get set, GO! BAM the gun signaled the start of the race. Chase started off hard. The two-mile course on the rough terrain yielded rocks and low water crossings. About eleven minutes later, I saw the first blue/white shirts on the horizon. But where’s Chase?

I started to get a bit worried when some runners came in front of Chase as he’s usually in front of them. Finally here he came. Running with all his might, he came in and finished. He won a prize—a medal.

Chase showed me his skinned up knee. He fell on the course and he said he sat there for a little while, but then he decided to get up and finish the race. He did not want to ride in on the cart.

Isn’t that how we’re to be as believers in Christ? We prepare; we run. For our training, we study the Word of God, spend time in prayer and worship with our Lord. Then we go out and run our course.

When we run our race, we may fall down. Perhaps we said something we should not have said. Or watched a television show not meant for our eyes. There are a myriad of ways we can fall. Yet God’s word states, “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again” (Proverbs 24:16 NIV). We can either let those things bring us down, or we can pick ourselves up and move forward. Let’s rise up like Chase did in this past race and finish the course.

Chase’s medal is only temporary, but the prize we run for “will last forever.” Run the race God set before you!