Finish line

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 NIV

Cross country running mystifies me. I am not much of a runner and never really have been. But I have never figured out why anyone would like the idea of running on a course designed to be hard and usually doing so in spite of weather that is not favorable. My only attempt ever was training for the Free Spirit run. I had a goal of under 30 minutes for the 5K race. That is not a good time, but it was challenging for me. I trained for it. I was ready. I worked my tail off and made it under 30 minutes. I was soaked in sweat and tired but that finish line was beautiful.

My joy was tempered by the presence of my then 15-year-old daughter who was running in flip flops and had been seen eating donuts prior to the race. She beat me by over 10 minutes and did not look like she had done anything. I started walking the race after that.

I saw a story once about a high school cross country program trying to win something like their tenth consecutive State title. I do not remember what state this was in, but that is impressive. It was on ESPN. The story followed the team as they prepared for the race. When the day of the race started everything looked normal. The best runner on the team was expected to win the overall race, but it did not work out that way.

As the first runners were approaching the finish line the camera focused on the leaders, but in the background, you could see her. She was not doing very well. She had not prepared properly, and dehydration had taken over. She approached the finish line still among the top finishers but had collapsed. She was literally crawling.

Her dad should have won an award for how he handled it. He did not run up and try to help her finish. That would have disqualified her. Instead, he got on the ground with her. He crawled right beside her encouraging her. He repeatedly pointed to the finish line and you could hear him “Do you want to finish?” Yes, she replied, so he kept his distance. He crawled with her to the finish line, an abject failure on the outside. Victory on the inside.

One of the best people I have ever known is facing a similar situation, except the roles are reversed and the stakes are higher. Her dad’s body is failing. He is metaphorically crawling toward his own finish line. She knows where her finish line is, her eternity. She wonders about his. This man was married to one of the greatest women I have ever met for six decades. He has children who are some of the most loving servants you will ever see. He has grandchildren who are thriving and great grandchildren as well. He has lived literally surrounded by love.

He himself has accomplished a great deal. He is successful in every area. But still she wonders, does he know Jesus as his Savior. I think he does. As accomplished as he is, his brain may be his biggest enemy in this area. He can think through any problem, but Jesus does not exactly fit into a typical text book. He is extremely smart and likes to exercise that brain. He can debate with anyone, but Jesus does not fit neatly into a debate.

I know more than one person, including me, who have tried to crawl alongside him. If we drag him across the finish line it does him no good. He has to get there himself. Everyone wants to see the watershed moment, the conversion, the alter call moment. But really, how often do we get to see that? Most of the time we are just a step in the race, one step. The title of Savior belongs to Jesus. The role of the Lord belongs to God. All we can do is the job He gives us. The transaction He has with the living we do not get to see, but God will not waste that finish line. The voice inside his head only needs an instant.

The runner in that cross country meet, when she had recovered, told about the voice in her head telling her to keep going. It was not her dad. She heard another voice take over. Her team? They had to have her finish. She crawled just enough to drop across the finish line in time to place for a team victory. Somewhere inside of her she heard the only voice she needed to hear and she followed it, all the way to glory.

Have you ever tried to argue God into existence?

Have you ever tried to tell someone about the love you feel without having words adequate to explain it?

Challenge: Nobody gets to heaven by responding to my voice. Letting God be God even with the people we care most about requires faith. He will show them the finish line.

Rick Claiborn