The Marathon of Life

    Where I live, the big event of the year is Grandmas Marathon and the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon.  They both run along the North Shore of Lake Superior and finish line is in Duluth Mn.  This years Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon had a cool story that could of had a very sad ending for one family.  A runner by the name of Tim Cernohous collapsed thirty yards from the finish line.  Luckily there was a paramedic running not to far behind him and administered medical attention.  Tim was revived and finished the race with help of the marathon medical team and then proceeded to a local hospital.  I sent the original article to a very good friend and it spurred on a conversation and some of the take ways are listed below.  Full disclosure,  my friend has coached track/xc and I may have called runners crazy for enjoying to run long pointless miles :) Also, here is the follow up article on the original article here (http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/health/4291704-right-place-right-time-runner-who-aided-collapsed-half-marathoner-Duluth).  

   The first thought that comes to mind is the difference between individual sports/team sports and which one is better.  This has been a debate for ages and it wouldn't surprise me if we continue to have this debate.  I was involved in team sports throughout high school and there is nothing better than the fellowship among your teammates and learning to not only do your best but also relying on others to perform up to their talents as well.  Being able to set team goals and work towards them is fun and brings great joy and a lot of frustration at times.  Team sports can teach that scoring thirty points a game is cool, but if you are always loosing, what's the point.  Learning how to win and loose as a team, family, or at your job is an important skill to have but learning what is the best for myself  may not be the best for my team, family, coworkers is something that we all need to learn and its not easy.  It could be fun to be the Michael Westbrook or James Harden and average near a triple double, but the question is how did their teams fare against the team orientated Golden State Warriors.

   The individual sports such as tennis and golf and have team elements to them, but these sports are primarily based on the individual and what they can accomplish.  Individual sports can teach many great things such as being a self starter, self reliance and being able to claim all the glory in the win and accountability in the loss.  Individual sports can cause people to get better and grow if they want to get better at their respective sports.  There are people who enjoy living on an island and being self reliant in everything they do.  There is no where to hide or people to throw underneath the bus when you play an individual sport.  Some people enjoy looking in the mirror looking where they need to grow, setting goals and reaching them on their own terms. 

  The Apostle Paul has some interesting things to say about competition and how it translate to our spiritual life.  In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul tells us that everyone runs this race called life, and if we are to run this race well, there are some things that we need to put into practice.  The first one is that we are to have discipline.  It means that not only should we set goals, but the types of goals we set and our follow through are important.  How can we get somewhere or achieve something if we do not set some obtainable goals to move us towards that goal.  We are all moving towards something, whether we have goals or not.  The question is, is it worth moving towards or do we just end up there?

  The second idea that comes to mind is this idea of endurance.  We can have the best goals in the world, but if we do not have endurance, we are going to quit.  How many of us have given up on that gym membership by March 1 because we either didn't have the endurance, or we let other things get in the way.  Endurance often requires us having some sort of accountability, we can seek the encouragement of others, make the changes to the things that are not working and celebrate the things that are.  Endurance often means that we have to do things that we don't want to do, or are extremely difficult.  Whether is passing on seconds, eating an apple instead of ice cream, or having a difficult, but needed conversation.  Endurance has that element of submission to it.  We all bow down to something, whether it is ourselves, other people, or God.  Here is the thing about endurance/submission and even life in general.  All of us are only given 24 hours in a day and 7 days a week, what we do with it, shows what is important to us and what we bow down to.

  The third idea is that endurance often leads to discernment.  As we go through life, we find out what works and what doesn't work and be bold enough to make changes.  None of us would run a race of any length in a three piece suits, because it would be to cumbersome.  Now three piece suits are cool and are appropriate for certain situations, but not running.  What are those things in your life that are cumbersome that are bring you down and taking you of target.  In the words of the Ray Charles song, those things just need to hit the road Jack, and don't come back no more.
 
   The fourth idea is that the destination matters.  Its awesome that we are not sitting on the sidelines and actively participating in life, but if we don't know where we are going, we might not get there.  Or the more devastating thought, we know where we are going, but its not worth going to.  To put in the Christian perspective, heaven is our goal, and how we run is important.  Are we looking for the fire insurance, so we don't spend eternity in Hell.  As we are on our race to our destination, our character is always being formed, and I hope and pray that it is something worth imitating.  I also pray that how you run and the character you are developing is something that other people can imitate.  Are we developing such things as peace, patience, self control, godliness love, joy and long suffering.  These are the essential characteristics of the Christian life.  How well formed  characteristics these characteristics are in our life is pretty good measure how we live our life and we respond to what it throws at us. 

  The fifth idea is that there is a finish line.  At the end of his life, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy, that he has fought the good fight, and he has finished the race and he is ready to take up his reward.  Earthly rewards and accolades are cool, but nothing compares to the eternal reward that we are pursuing.  Earthly rewards fades away and champions are eventually forgotten about, but our relationship with not only each other, but with God will last forever.  How we develop these relationships shows not only how we are running our race, but what our destination is.