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Finish the Race - February 15, 2006
My three-year-old son got a new bicycle for Christmas this past year. It is a very small bicycle and has training wheels. Being very excited, he went out for a ride that afternoon. He took to it very quickly and in no time was pedaling up and down the sidewalk. Our driveway sits at an incline, making it difficult for him to ride up it without a good start. He was having trouble so he made a course change for the sidewalk. He failed to take the curb into account and the bicycle ended up falling over, taking him with it.
I watched carefully at this point, wondering how he would react. I expected him to cry some and want to take a break from riding. To my surprise, he jumped right back up without a single sound, immediately got back on the bicycle, and happily took off down the sidewalk. I was very impressed with how he handled himself.
I started thinking about his reaction and comparing it to how I react to my own adversities. We all fall down at some point. The question is, how do we respond? Do we give up and give in to self-pity or do we pray for strength and keep going? This reminded me of Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us".
There are going to be many obstacles in our lives and it is crucial that we have the endurance to weather the storms of life and fulfill God's purpose for us. On the day that I meet God, I want to be able to echo 2 Timothy 4:7: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
Contributed by Craig Campbell
My three-year-old son got a new bicycle for Christmas this past year. It is a very small bicycle and has training wheels. Being very excited, he went out for a ride that afternoon. He took to it very quickly and in no time was pedaling up and down the sidewalk. Our driveway sits at an incline, making it difficult for him to ride up it without a good start. He was having trouble so he made a course change for the sidewalk. He failed to take the curb into account and the bicycle ended up falling over, taking him with it.
I watched carefully at this point, wondering how he would react. I expected him to cry some and want to take a break from riding. To my surprise, he jumped right back up without a single sound, immediately got back on the bicycle, and happily took off down the sidewalk. I was very impressed with how he handled himself.
I started thinking about his reaction and comparing it to how I react to my own adversities. We all fall down at some point. The question is, how do we respond? Do we give up and give in to self-pity or do we pray for strength and keep going? This reminded me of Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us".
There are going to be many obstacles in our lives and it is crucial that we have the endurance to weather the storms of life and fulfill God's purpose for us. On the day that I meet God, I want to be able to echo 2 Timothy 4:7: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
Contributed by Craig Campbell