Finish the Race

Before joining the military, I was never much of an athlete. I never tried out for track or other sports at school, but I was better academically. So, after signing up for the Navy, my Dad started training me to jog, and we would run in the park and around the circumference of our home. Once I left for boot camp, our recruit division commanders (RDC) had us run 3x weekly for 1 ½ miles as part of our physical training. Well, three main categories of people ran, and I want to introduce you to them. 

 
The first was the sprinters. They started out really fast and seemed like they were going to beat everyone to the finish line, but after a mile into the run, many of them began to slow down and dwindle, not completing the run. The second was the group who were not physically fit nor used to running, so they would start, cry, and quit with the RDC yelling in their faces and telling them they were a disgrace to the human race. Then there was the group that I would consider myself in. We were the ones who may not have been the fastest, but we paced ourselves to complete the run. Yes, the RDC would always say: “Rich, get up here!” However, I always ignored them and kept pace. See, I knew that if I tried to sprint, I would have failed to be able to complete the race. Yet, I was unlike the second group, who was neither trained nor physically fit to complete the run. Therefore, I knew that if I kept at a steady pace, I would make it to the end. Although my RDC would yell: “Rich, get up here!” because I was not as fast as some of the others, who sometimes quit mid-race, I always completed my run. At the end, my RDC would say, “Well done!” 

 
The Word lets us know that the race is not given to the swift nor the battle to the strong (Eccl. 9:11). The Bible says: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). The Apostle Paul knew that he did not just start the race but completed it where he would get his reward from the Lord. Therefore, no matter how hard it gets, Complete the Race. Jesus will reward all who endure to the end, and we will one day hear Him say, “Well Done.”