STILL 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)
As much as I’d love to fight the good fight, I’m a lousy fighter. I barely lasted a month in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. One day during sparring with the coach, in the blink of an eye I found myself dripping blood and spitting teeth. (Okay, I confess. It wasn’t much blood, just a small cut on my forehead. And it wasn’t a whole tooth, just a few little pieces.) Needless to say, when I got home, my wife asked in an oh-so-sweet-yet-barely-veiled-“I told you so”-sort of way, “are you suuuuure you want to keep doing this?” And if I’m being honest, I was NOT so sure!
But I can run. In fact, I recently ran the good race! Well, not THE good race, but A good race. It was good because I set a personal best [PB] time. And it was good because I learned some lessons. Some good lessons, that I want to share with you, in the hope that you’ll find them as encouraging as I did. Please don’t think I’m being egotistical as I share about this recent 10k (6.2 miles) road race in question. If you knew my pace and final time — which I am NOT going to tell you! — you would know that the last thing I want to do is call attention to my running “skills”!… I’m not being egotistical, I promise!
Last week I shared how I set my “post-50” personal best for a 10k while training. During the race that occurred soon thereafter — which took place on a beautiful day during a Brazilian holiday — I merely wanted to equal that. What happened, though, was that I destroyed it! I shaved nearly 5% off my PB. (I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but ask any runner and they’ll tell you that even 0.5% is something worth celebrating!) My run, and the circumstances around it, are analogous to what you may be experiencing in your life right now:
- In the same way that I trained and built up toward the race, you might be studying, researching and writing (if you’re a student); or trying to complete a big project at work; or seeking to accomplish something important at home (spring cleaning?); etc.
- Just as I started out the gate with 2000 other people, full of excitement and energy, you started out on you big project with high expectations for your “performance” in achieving it.
- Just as I looked at my watch early on and thought, “Oh no, my pace is too fast… I’m going to burn out before I get to the finish line,” you may have started off full of vim and vigor, only to realize that you wouldn’t be able to keep up that pace.
- Just as I finally settled into a good stride, you may have found your rhythm for your project.
- As I entered into the second half of the race, I began to feel weary and think, “I’ll finish, but my time won’t be anything to write home about.” You might be in the “weary” stage of your project right now, thinking/ hoping/ praying you’ll finish, even if it’s not your best work.
- As I got into the final third of the race, I began to think of tactics to increase my adrenaline and speed up. In my case those tactics were:
1) To get past the pain by thinking about the amazing things God still wants to do in the future in and through me, my family, and the organizations that I serve. (There is, in fact, a neurological and physiological reaction that occurs when you — for lack of a better expression — think positive thoughts, and I tried to take full advantage of that.) You might be — should be — thinking about how you can speed up, move forward toward the finish line and get your project done with excellence. You SHOULD be thinking about the amazing things God wants to do in you (right now, during your project) and through you by virtue of having completed the project, learned a lot, and determined ways to put your learning to use for your King!
2) To get other people engaged with me by encouraging them, rooting them on (provoking them if necessary!) and trying to see if I could get someone to speed up so that I would have a challenge to keep up with them. Perhaps you need to be engaging someone right now. Ask them to pray for you. Ask their advice. Ask them to light a fire under you, prod you, poke you, push you, do whatever it takes to get to next week’s finish line!
As I got near the end, I began to realize that, “Wow, I am not only going to finish, but I might even finish well!” And the adrenaline really did kick in. Even though the final kilometer was slightly uphill, I didn’t care. Even though it was the most painful part of the run, and I was weary, I kept on pushing because I could see the finish line and there was a real chance for me to finish with excellence (which, in this case, meant a new personal best). You might feel like it’s all uphill till you finish your project and, well, it might be. But that’s okay. You can see the finish line. Let that drive you. And don’t be content with merely finishing. You are not in this to merely finish. If at all possible, you are in it to run the good race, to finish with excellence, because you serve an excellent and glorious King who doesn’t just demand excellence (and holiness, and righteousness, and obedience, etc.), He ALSO provides you everything you need along the way — all the resources you need — to finish well. In my case, it was three cups of water, two bananas, and a guy with a beard that I challenged to race me to the finish. In your case, it is my prayers and the prayers of others. It is access to good and godly people who can give you advice and counsel and ideas. It is access to the internet, or a budget, or a team, or… well, you get the point. It is your family and friends and colleagues who are also rooting you on. And, above all else, it is Christ in you, the hope of glory!
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness [and finishing finishing your project well!], through the knowledge of Him who called us to his own glory and excellence [and so therefore we want to finish with excellence!]” (That’s what 2 Pet. 1:3 says. Sort of.)
In case you are wondering, the bearded guy beat me… by a whisker.
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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 among all peoples of the world. His work has appeared in numerous books and in Christianity Todayand The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, among others. He holds degrees in sociology and practical theology, specializations in systematic theology 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.
