Finishing the Race

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? . . . 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

As I listen to the news about the upcoming Olympics, I remember when I was with some children who were participating in a Special Olympics event.

Because I worked for the Special School District in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America, we teachers accompanied these children so we could encourage them. They struggled because they were not necessarily athletic, and at times, they wanted to give up and quit. But with our encouragement and support, they continued to the finish.

One time my husband, Jerry, and I were in California, United States of America, when there was a multiple sclerosis (MS) walk in Pasadena.

Having been diagnosed with MS many years ago, I had always wanted to participate in one of these walks. Jerry and I, along with our two daughters and two young granddaughters, decided to participate. There were hundreds of people walking, as this was the largest MS walk in the United States at the time. The main thing I remember about that walk is all the encouragement I received along the way. There were stations set up offering water or juice, snacks, and encouragement: “You can do this!” “You are doing great!” “Keep going!” There were some rest stops, and I did take advantage of a few of those. But there was never one word of discouragement. Because of my family and all the encouragement, I did finish the three miles.

The Bible mentions several times that we are all in a race. Paul says, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1, NIV).

He says we are in this race “to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Corinthians 9:25, NIV). So, just as I received encouragement for my walk, the Bible says we should encourage one another as we “see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25, NIV).

With encouragement from one another in our walk with Jesus, we will one day say along with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7, NIV).

Sharon Oster