Volume 14 Post/Email 3 – Life Is A Marathon
To deal with the tension in our lives between the ideal and the real, between where we dream of being and where we currently are, it is helpful and accurate to see life as a marathon instead of a 50-yard dash.
Just because some of our goals in life have not yet been accomplished, does not mean they will remain unfulfilled. Both life and ministry are a marathon. Thus, sustainability counts more than speed. In First Corinthians 9:24-25 Paul compares life and ministry to a race, and highlights the value and necessity of being disciplined. In 2 Timothy 4:7 Paul emphatically states, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
When I was recently visiting the congregation of my childhood at Christmas, a lady I presume in her mid forties came to me with enthusiasm and said when I was preaching a revival at New Center Grove (10-11 years ago), that she was at an extremely low point in her life. She mentioned that I told her a message that changed her life. She quoted, "How you start does not matter as much as how you finish." She then said that when she came to Estill and discovered that my dad was a minister there that further encouraged her faith and determination. We embraced and I told her I was glad she shared and that God has been blessing her so.
Brothers and Sisters - whenever we struggle, are frustrated, down, discouraged, or feel defeated, it can help to have this broader and more accurate perspective of our life!
Perseverance is the hard work you do after you are tired from the hard work you have already done!
Reflection: How will you finish?
-Brian
