In It to… Finish It!
"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." (1 Cor. 9:24)
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Tim. 4:7)
I love running. I’m not exceptionally fast and I don’t run exceptionally long distances, but running serves me well for many reasons. My best times of praying, contemplating, evaluating and planning, for example, often happen while running.
Exercise in general, and running in particular, releases endorphines, which trigger a positive feeling of well-being. Some people call this feeling a “runner’s high.” It’s free and legal, so I’m all in! We usually have wonderful weather here in south Brazil, which is perfect for 10k (6.2 miles) runs and releasing those endorphines! I recently ran a 10k roadrace, and on the last 10k training run I did before the race, I wanted to push it a bit and see if I could just slightly beat my then-current 10k personal best. (I say “current” because at my age I won’t ever again beat my all-time personal best [PB]. But when I hit 50 recently, I reset the clock — at least in my mind! — so now I just try to push my post-50th birthday 10k times down as low as I can!)
I started off at a bit quicker pace than I had intended, but felt pretty good, so against my better judgment, I kept up that pace. The problem — and I knew that this would happen, but I kept up my pace anyway — was that by the final two kilometers my body was saying, “slow down some.” My mind responded “no,” and an internal dialogue began. (Some might label an “internal dialogue” as schizophrenia, but I’m pretty sure that’s not my case!)
I began thinking things like, “I don’t really need to set a new personal best [PB]. I can just slow down to a more comfortable pace.” My knees and back were beginning to ache and my lungs were burning a bit. “Seriously. I don’t have anything to prove. I can try to set a personal best next time.”
But something in me just wouldn’t let me slow down. I decided that if I did not set a personal best, it would not be for lack of trying. I set out with a “PB” in mind, so I was determined not only to finish, but to finish as well as I could, to finish with excellence and, just maybe, to “win.” (Now you’re going to think I’m schizophrenic again, because I was racing against myself!)
I admit that I was thinking about the apostle Paul and thinking about finishing what I set out to do. I don’t want to be in the habit of finishing poorly (or not finishing at all) just because something seems small or insignificant. I DO want to be in the habit of giving it my best, every time, in every arena of life. So I pressed on. I ran hard even though it was painful. And you know what? To my surprise, I was still able to set a new personal best. I actually shaved off MORE time than I had initially set out to.
So a question: What’s going on in your life right now? I’m not talking about the BHAGs (big, hairy, audacious goals). I’m referring to those small tasks and challenges in life that you might be inclined to write off before finishing. The ones that just don’t seem significant enough to complete. Here’s the thing: if you are in it, then be in it to win it! Or — and I’m just keepin’ it real here — maybe you don’t need to win it, but for more reasons than I can count on my two hands (or feet!), you probably ought to finish. Finishing is almost always better than not finishing. And finishing well is almost always better than merely finishing!
Let’s take a minute to think about how the apostle Paul viewed this idea of finishing well. It’s not hard to figure out. In around 55 AD, Paul exhorted the believers in Corinth to “run in such a way as to get the prize.” We tend to view this as being a command to be spiritually disciplined and have spiritual goals, and to achieve them for the glory of God. I fully agree with that. But I believe it’s no accident that Paul told the same group of believers just a short while later “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Now Paul was no hypocrite. He practiced what he preached. That’s why in around 67 AD, near the end of his life and ministry, he was able to affirm to Timothy that he had “fought the good fight… finished the race… kept the faith.”
In order to finish well, like the apostle Paul, we must BE and DO well right now, even in the small things (a 10k run?) and the mundane things, like… [you fill in the rest]. So Paul and I want to encourage you not to grow weary and lose heart this week! You are very, very close to finishing something. Or perhaps several somethings. You can finish it, with excellence. Be in it to win it! Or at least to finish well. God will give you grace, stamina, determination — whatever you need — in order to do it. So (and I hate to be cliché here, but it just seems to fit) in the words of Nike, “just do it!” And in the words of Larry the Cable Guy (you saw this coming, didn’t you!): “git-r-done”!
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About the Author
João (but you can call him John) is a “Great Commission Entrepreneur”, passionate about starting and leading anything — mission agencies, churches, businesses — that helps fulfill the Great Commission. He loves to speak, teach, preach and write about God’s glory in all areas of life and society, and among all peoples of the world. His work has appeared in numerous books and in Christianity Today and The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, among others. He holds degrees in sociology and practical theology, specializations in systematic theology, leadership, and entrepreneurship, and doctorates in intercultural studies (D.Int.St.) and religious studies (Ph.D.). You can connect with him at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Podcasts, as well as joao.mordomo@gmail.com.
