Finish the Race

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2Timothy 4:7



I'm not a marathoner. I'm not a triathlete. I'm more of a Sunday afternoon stroll kinda girl.



After years of not working out my husband decided it was time to get into shape. So he hopped on the treadmill and set the workout to the Navy Seals fitness test, determined to pass. He did. Maybe it wasn't the brightest move, but it does say something about my husbands personality. He's driven.



Me? I set the treadmill for a gentle 30 minutes, and exercised with my heart rate in the target zone. I didn't set any records. I showed up.



What does this have to do with anything? Well, this year I've been learning lessons about endurance, patience, surrender, long-suffering, and discipline. These are not fun lessons for a Sunday afternoon stroll kinda girl. Just the other day I told my Hubby."'m sick of fighting. I'm sick working so hard. Why does everything have to be a battle?"



There is something to be said for rest. God invented the Sabbath for a reason; we need rest. There is also something to be said for hard work and endurance. Couch Potatoes can take many forms. There are emotional couch potatoes, and intellectual potatoes, and relational potatoes, and spiritual couch potatoes and physical couch potatoes (there are also baked potatoes, but that's beside the point). Aside for the baked potato, none of these are good. We are meant for the race; we are meant for battle. We are made for the Navy Seals, not 30 minutes in our target heart rate.

So what does a girl do when she is battle weary and tired? When she's hurt. and spent? She puts one foot in front of the other, and keeps going. It's not so desolate as that though. For I am not alone in the race; I am not alone in the battle. When I limp I have a heavenly father who is right beside me.

A couple of weeks ago our pastor showed this illustration, it is of the 1992 Olympics. Derek Redman was an athlete from the UK who had overcome many health obstacles just to compete. The man who runs onto the field is Derek's father. You gotta watch it to understand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyWwSR9xBH0