Finishing
Strong
"That I may finish my
race with joy" (Acts 20:33 NKJV).
One of my sports heroes is
John Stephen Akhwari. He was the runner from Tanzania who finished dead last in
the marathon at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. No last–place finisher ever
finished quite so last.
Injured along the way—he collided with another runner, dislocating his knee and injuring his
shoulder when he hit the ground—Akhawri pressed on and hobbled
into the stadium over an hour after the last runner had crossed the finish
line.
All the spectators were
gone, the stadium was closed and crews were preparing for the closing ceremony
when Akhwari gathered up the last of his strength and finished strong. To honor his effort one of the workers picked up a torn finishing tape
and held it across the track so Akhwari could break it.
Asked why he continued to the
end, Akhwari replied, “My country didn't send me 5000 miles to start the race.
It sent me 5000 miles to finish.”
And so, on this my 85th
birthday, I pray that you and I may finish the race that is set before us and
finish strong.
I must say, however, that my
understanding of the phrase "finish strong" has changed with the
years. I once thought (and wrote) that we should end our days like Caleb, who
at age 85 hied himself up the mountain and slew the mighty Sons of Anak.
Finishing strong meant finishing with vim, vigor and verve.
Perhaps that's God's will
for a some, but for most of us acts of derring-do are far behind us. So I rather
pray that you and I may finish our course full of joy. That’s one way to finish strong!
David Roper
3.30.18
