For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up 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 loved his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8
In my early 50’s I began to run again. In high school I was in cross country and track. My long-distance running friend and I often talked about running a marathon. In my early 50’s I ran my first marathon. I trained for a year. I went on to run several half marathons and another marathon until the mileage took a toll on my joints and feet and I had to stop the long-distance running habit. But the lessons I learned spent alone on pre-dawn mornings while I ran and prayed with my Lord Jesus still haunt me today. I know what the ‘hitting the wall’ means. I know how much the end of a marathon race is more of a mental challenge because your body begins to betray you and all you have is your determination to ‘finish the race’. So much of challenges one encounters in life are just like long distance race running. This may be a reason Paul uses this analogy.
Now in my later 60’s I am reminded again and again that my ‘race’ is closer to the end than ever before. I want to ‘finish the race and keep the faith’! In a long-distance race, you want to leave every last ounce of effort and strength spent on the last part of the race to the finish line. Some have a ‘kick’ right before the finish line. I had a deadly kick at the end of my races. My running friend knew this – for I would often out run him in the last yards of the race. So, he began speeding up way before the last yards hoping to tire me out so I wouldn’t have such an effective kick at the end. It only worked once that I can remember. If he was within sight of me at the end I could catch him, but I always gave ALL I had to the last yard in every race.
Some of us ‘runners’ are most likely closer to the end of our races than others, and the mental game has begun in our minds on how to ‘finish well’. This means every step is more crucial so that we don’t waste any extra effort to save every ounce of energy for the final push to the line. We must avoid wrong turns and focus on not allowing obstacles to slow us down. We must push through the growing pain within the body to focus only on the finish line.
Paul knew he was close when he wrote these last words, being totally ‘poured out’. And yes, at the end of every race the ‘fight’ is real! Life in this shadowland is a ‘fight’ to the very end. We need to be mindful of the ‘race’ and run accordingly. Focused and determined. Being wise and not running haphazardly, wasting our effort and energy.
What obstacles are you currently facing? How are you navigating your life race with Jesus? Is He directing and instructing you on how to run? Is He actually your ‘coach’?
Oh… that we might hear these words… at our finish line.
‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 25:23
Listen to your Coach Jesus.