Endurance and Life
"Blessed is
the man who perseveres under trial,
because when he
has stood the test,
he will receive
the crown of life that God
as promised to
those who love him."
(James 1:2)
In our seemingly endless
search for tranquility, we always seem to "want what we want, when we want
it". Waiting seems like an impossible task. We seem to want our victories
to come via the easy route. That is rarely a reality of life. Life is not a sprint;
it is an endurance event, a marathon.
Many
of you know of my amateur career as an endurance athlete, a Triathlete, swim,
bike and run. Just to get to the starting line in a race takes hours of
practice, mostly alone; sometimes in pain; often in bad weather conditions.
However, in most races there are thousands of participants! That's correct,
thousands. This is generally true of most endurance events. What for? Why do
people do that?
Let me summarize the feelings that occur
during a typical Triathlon. There is anticipation and excitement standing on
the beach during the national anthem. There is generally a feeling of
spirituality during the blessing. In all my races, there was a period of fear
at some time during the swim. Boredom, pain, doubt and an entire array of other
feelings occur during the bike ride and run. Then comes good time; the approach
to the finish line.
The finish line generally has a crowd of 10,000
to 50,000 spectators. Enthusiasm and positive energy seem to radiate out of the
crowd to be absorbed by the competitors.
Most of my fellow racers agree that the feeling of finishing, the pride,
and the accomplishment and of course, just being done, is very special. I
personally have never crossed the finish line without tears of joy in our eyes.
As a great grandfather and senior citizen, I
can look back over the years and see the parallels between racing and life.
Life is full of challenges, fears and excitement. Consider what James said in
his twelfth verse:
"Consider
it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know
that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must
finish its work so that you may be mature and
complete, not
lacking anything."
Let's
remember to live our lives as Christians, be patient, meet our challenges and
look forward to receiving our "crown of life".
Thought for Today: We are all
living through trying times. There is too much to do, too much work, not enough
playtimes. However, we have God and through Him we have our Christian friends.
Today let's look toward the future knowing that patience and perseverance will
bring us tranquility and happiness.
Amen
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