What does the Boston Marathon teach about failure? 40,000 start and at the end there is only one winner! Really?
“Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize, for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us.” -Phil 3:13-14
TAKE HEART!
In 2021, almost 40,000 people ran in the Boston Marathon, approximately 20,000 on site and 20,000 ran virtually since virtual is part of the times we live in today during Covid. Certainly, some people ran to win. The winning time was 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 51 seconds. The average race finish time was 1 hour and 30 minutes longer! That means that most runners took even more than twice as long. So why do people run in the Marathon who really have no hope of winning?
I know several marathon runners, and you might also know some or you are one. Those I know run to finish. They run with a purpose. If you go online and read different finishers’ stories, you see they run to celebrate first responders, covid survivors, special charities, and for other reasons. One runner even ran to celebrate his hometown as the home of Orville Redenbacher the popcorn seller. He ran in a popcorn costume!
In the quote above, the race in the book of Philippians is like a marathon. It is certainly not a sprint. It is lifelong. It is about crossing the finish line of a life well lived. To win it you must “press on.” It is grueling at times. It is sacrifice at times. But at times it is glorious!
The finish of the Philippian’s race is so much more because the race is so much more important. It determines the impact of your life. It sets your legacy. It is critical to run for those who know they are here for a reason. However, the prize of the race in Philippians is truly beyond the imagination-it is a forever prize.
I am running in this race. It is not meant to be run alone. Run with me!